A Melody from the Past
by Aku Blossom
Summary: Time is a fickle thing. What are dreams to some, may be memories to another. Someone who was once a sister, can become a stranger after so much time apart. As Anna and Elsa try to make up for lost time, they find themselves drawn into a conflict they've no part in, but one in which they must decide the outcome. [Elsanna]
1. Familiar Strangers

**Frozen**

_**A Melody from the Past**_

**Chapter 1: Familiar Strangers**

The air rang with the sound of clashing metal and grunts of pain and exertion, the smell of sweat pushed along by a gentle breeze as the midday sun hung hot and heavy over the training yard. As the new recruits worked themselves to the bone, they found themselves distracted by more than just the heat. Though she'd tried to remain inconspicuous, it had only taken one of them noticing the presence of the auburn-haired young beauty watching from the sidelines before they were all worked up and nervous.

It wasn't every day that the crown princess was in attendance for their drills.

One of the recruits stumbled as he blocked a haphazard strike from his partner, his sword slipping from his grip when a voice bellowed out from the sidelines.

"Tyr's Hand, get your head out of your arse, Lief! Again!" The owner of the voice, Captain Haile, barked, storming across the training ground as Lief's partner helped him to his feet and the two resumed their exercise.

"S-sorry, Captain! I was…" Lief cleared his throat and shook his head, "It won't happen again, sir!"

Captain Haile glared at the pair, his scowl hidden behind his thick beard. As the two resumed their sparring, he stood by for a moment, arms folded behind his back, nodding every so often. Satisfied, or at least acknowledging that the boy was trying, he sighed and turned on his heel, marching back to where the young beauty was hidden.

"My apologies for the sorry sight, Your Highness. Rest assured, I'll get this lot straightened out, yet," he called as he came to rest beside her. Despite the harshness in his voice, there was a certain softness in his eyes as he regarded the princess.

"No, no, no! I'm so sorry, Captain Haile, it's not their fault. I should apologize...I shouldn't be here distracting them," Princess Anna of Arendelle apologized, wincing slightly as she watched young Lief take another ungraceful fall. Her heart went out to the poor boy as he quickly scrambled to his feet, throwing a nervous glance her way as he did so.

Captain Haile sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "They'll be fighting for the honor of our kingdom, and the honor of yourself and the Queen before long. Arendelle needs strong men, not awkward boys to defend her," Captain Haile trailed off for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Forgive my impertinence, Your Highness, but to what do we owe this honor?"

Anna's gaze didn't waver as she watched Lief take the offensive against his training partner. She folded her hands in front of her, clutching one with the other to keep her arms still as they threatened to mimic every move the young squire made. As he blocked another attack, this time managing to stand his ground, she unconsciously shifted her feet, as if she'd taken the blow herself. When he moved to strike down his opponent, Anna realized she hadn't been breathing and suddenly gasped, hand rising to her chest to feel her heartbeat as the tail-end of the Captain's words finally caught her attention.

"Your Highness?" He asked, again, his voice softened with concern.

"What? I'm sorry, were you saying something?" Anna asked, turning to the older man. The Captain chuckled and Anna quickly looked down, focusing on her clasped hands and biting her lower lip, cheeks aflame with embarrassment.

"Think nothing of it, Your Highness. Lief's rough around the edges, but he's certainly a handsome enough lad. Though, I do wonder what about him has caught your eye?" Though his tone never changed from its usual roughness, there was a certain playfulness to his words that caused the princess to blush even darker and begin to stumble over her words.

"Captain Haile! It's n-nothing like that! Gods, no...I mean, he looks like a sweet boy, but, that isn't why I'm here," Anna pouted and crossed her arms, though she found it difficult to resist cracking a smile when the Captain laughed out loud.

"Well then, if you aren't here to pick out our future king, to what do I owe the pleasure? Surely its not to marvel at these boys' skills. You'd see better fighting between grannies at the market."

Anna still refused to look him in the eye as her attention drifted back to the fighting. Captain Haile was an old friend of their family. Originally from the neighboring nation of Westmarch, he'd been rescued by Anna's grandfather and grew up alongside her father. Some would question a foreigner being so close to the crown, but Haile had proven himself time and time again to be unwavering in his loyalty: both to the kingdom, and to the family that ruled over it. He was a rough character, but "Uncle Captain", as she'd called him when she was little, was someone she trusted completely.

Why then, was she finding it so difficult to simply open up to him?

"Princess?" Captain Haile finally turned his attention away from his recruits, his stern expression becoming one of genuine concern when the princess still refused to answer, "Anna, girl, talk to me."

Before she could stop herself, Anna felt the words tumble out of her mouth, "I want to learn how to fight."

**XXXX**

Anna groaned as she found herself once again staring up at the evening sky, the moon peeking through the clouds as if to scold her for letting her guard down again.

"You planning on getting back up, or should we call it a night?" A rough voice laughed nearby.

Anna grumbled and forced herself up, breathing heavily as she looked down at her torn up training clothes. If anyone saw her...if Elsa saw her, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to explain. With a sigh, she glared at the hand being offered to her, though her displeasure was marred by the smiling tugging at her lips. With an unladylike grunt, she grabbed the Captain's hand and slid to her feet, brushing her pants off as she bent over to collect her wooden training sword.

Two weeks, she thought as she squared her shoulders and took a defensive stance. It had been two weeks since she asked Captain Haile to teach her how to fight. In that time, she'd probably seen more bumps, cuts, scrapes and bruises than she could recall over the last several years. But, as the pair began to spar once more, she felt a surge of newfound purpose and energy as her wooden blade collided with the Captain's.

"Keep your guard up, you get too focused on striking and that leaves you exposed. There you go, ah! Watch your footing, lest I do this!" The Captain called out, once again sweeping Anna off her feet and sending her tumbling back to the ground.

"Oof! Do you have to keep doing that?" Anna muttered as she sat back up, wincing as she struggled to her feet. The surge of confidence from before vanished as her legs shook like jelly and threatened to give out beneath her.

As the princess took a sloppy swing at the Captain, he effortlessly disarmed her and slid in close, the dull edge of his sword inches away from her throat.

"I'll keep doing it until you learn to avoid it," He explained as he stepped back to retrieve Anna's lost weapon, "You're getting better, though. You're an eager student, perhaps to your detriment," He chuckled as he placed a massive hand on Anna's trembling shoulder.

Just the weight of his hand was enough to cause her knees to buckle and force her to grab onto him to stay on her feet.

"I can go again," Anna insisted, reaching for her sword. She frowned when the Captain pulled it back and gestured toward the castle.

"Aye, I'm sure you can, Your Highness. That's why this old man is calling our session for tonight finished. If I don't stop you now, I doubt you'll stop until you can't get back up," He pointed out, waiting for her to start the trek toward the castle before falling into step behind her.

The two walked in a comfortable, familiar silence, at least until the Captain spoke up, asking the question Anna knew he'd ask.

"You still won't tell me why you insist that I spend my evenings brutalizing my favorite princess, will you?" He asked, right on schedule. Every night that the two met for her secret lessons, he asked the same question as they returned to the castle.

"Will you stop training me if I don't answer?" Anna asked, like she had every time before. There was a pause; there was always a pause before he answered.

Finally, Captain Haile responded, "No, if it is your wish to learn to fight, then it is my duty to ensure you learn properly."

"Then that's enough reason," Anna recited, completing the exchange once again.

No more words were said as the pair returned to the castle. Captain Haile said his good night and took his leave, taking the princess's sword with him to keep it hidden from the others. It would cause more harm than good for the rest of the castle to know that the Captain of the Queen's Guard was the one responsible for the princess's bruises. It was already hard enough for her to come up with enough excuses to placate Gerda and Kai.

Anna groaned and paused halfway up the stairs to catch her breath. Her legs were screaming at her, her knees knocking as she swung her body forward to get herself moving again. Stepping into the hallway that led to her room, she felt a rush of relief. Just a little bit more and she'd be able to collapse in her bed and spend the rest of the night dreaming up an explanation for the limp she'd surely have in the morning.

Those thoughts petered away as the princess paused outside her sister's room. The door was shut tight, a sight that was all too familiar to the redhead. As if her body was moving on its own, she crossed the distance to the door as if she were floating, her hand curling into a fist. Reaching out to knock on the door, whatever spell had fallen over her passed and she became intensely aware of how filthy she was from training.

"I can come back," She muttered, nodding and turning away from the door. Once she was cleaned up, then she'd come back. That is, if Elsa was even still awake, she thought as she realized just how late it must have been.

The journey back to her room passed in an instant, and after she pushed her door closed she leaned up against it, moaning as she slid to the floor, holding her side. She appreciated that the Captain was taking her training seriously, but she couldn't help but silently curse the man for insisting on exploiting her poor defense so...consistently.

"Another rough night of training, Your Highness?" A soft voice spoke up, snapping Anna out of her thoughts.

With a hiss, the princess graciously accepted the young girl's assistance in climbing to her feet. She made the mistake of standing up straight and found herself doubling over in pain once again.

With a sheepish chuckle, Anna nodded, "You could say that...ugh, the old man doesn't know how to pull a punch," She muttered.

The girl was Anna's personal handmaiden, Vera. Only three years younger than the Princess, she'd been one of Anna's closest confidants, even more so since the loss of the King and Queen three years prior. She was also the only other person that Anna had trusted with the knowledge of her sessions with Captain Haile.

Not that she hadn't tried to hide it, but the first night she returned to her room covered in cuts and bruises, it had been a choice between letting her handmaiden in on the secret, or risk her spilling the details to the Queen.

Vera wore a tiny smile as she helped Anna out of her training clothes, taking care to fold them neatly before stepping into the princess's private bath chamber to prepare her bath.

"You know that isn't true, Your Highness. I suspect you'd be more than sore if the Captain truly lacked restraint," she teased.

Anna giggled and laid back on her bed, legs dangling off the side as she stared up at the ceiling.

"I suspect you might be right," she agreed with another laugh. Her eyes fluttered closed for just a moment, listening to Vera work in the next room. Before too long, Anna startled herself awake as a tiny snore escaped her lips, "Did I miss anything?" she called, opening her eyes and struggling to sit up.

"Nothing, Your Highness. Oh, mmm...my apologies, the Queen did ask about you. I advised her that you were visiting Sir Bjorgman and would be back before morning," the handmaiden explained as she returned to the bedroom and assisted Anna with rising to her feet. Though Vera was fair deal shorter than the Princess, she nevertheless carried most of her princess's weight as she led her into the adjoining room.

"Thank you, Vera," Anna sighed as the smaller girl helped her into the bath. Anna gave a whimper when her skin touched the chilly water, "Ah, cold, cold, cold!" she hissed.

"I would have time to warm your bath if you weren't coming in so late, or if I knew when you'd be returning," Vera pointed out plainly.

"I know, I know…" Anna sighed, lying back and closing her eyes once more. "Thank you, again, Vera. I really mean that." Anna peeked one eye open, just in time to catch the tiny smile on her handmaiden's lips, before the small girl cleared her throat and rose to her feet.

"It's my pleasure to serve, Your Highness. Will you be requiring my assistance, or would you prefer I take this time to clean your training garments?"

Anna considered for a moment if she had enough mobility to reach her shoulders, let alone her ankles. Keeping her answer to herself, she nodded.

"I'll be fine, Vera. I need some time to myself to unwind,"

"As you wish, Your Highness. If you have need of me, I will return shortly," Vera moved to return to the bedroom, but paused for a moment, "Forgive me for making such a request, but I must ask that you stay in the tub until I return," Vera asked, quickly adding, "For your own safety, Your Highness." Without waiting for the princess's reply, and, perhaps, to ensure there was to be no argument, the young girl slipped out of the room and, moments later, Anna heard the sound of her bedroom door opening.

As soon as she heard the door close, Anna's eyes slid shut. Lying back and trying to relax, her mind drifted unbidden back to the question that the Captain had posed to her for a fortnight.

Why did she want to learn to fight?

The first answer that leapt to the forefront of her thoughts was that she enjoyed it. In spite of the soreness spreading through her limbs and the dull ache she'd grown accustomed to, it really was the truth. Watching the recruits train had become a guilty pleasure of hers in recent years. Not to ogle at their muscles, but to, instead, quiet the restlessness she'd felt ever since losing her parents.

Her parents. Now, maybe that was an even more honest answer. She'd been so young, and they'd been taken away so needlessly. Perhaps there was a part of her that was desperate to find some kind of control, some kind of strength to overcome the anguish that still gnawed at her heart whenever she passed by one of their portraits.

As a chill ran down her spine, Anna's eyes opened halfway, peering up at the dancing shadows cast by the candles lighting her bath chamber. Before she could stop herself, her lips parted and a single word escaped.

"Elsa…" she whispered, wrapping her arms around her middle as another chill ran down her spine. She didn't mean to chase off the cold, no, instead she wished to embrace it, as if, somehow, it might bring her closer to the queen she called her sister.

She recalled over the years the number of times she'd seen some hidden suffering in Elsa's eyes before a closing door separated them once again. She recalled how helpless she'd felt at the coronation when Elsa's powers had been revealed. She recalled the perilous trip up the North Mountain, how her impatience and weakness had nearly cost her and Kristoff their lives.

Anna pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Her body screamed out and sent a blinding surge of pain through her middle, but she didn't shy away from that feeling. It couldn't begin to compare with the pain she'd felt when she saw Hans' blade raised, ready to strike her sister down.

She'd managed to save Elsa's life, and Elsa had, in turn, saved hers. Not even a month had yet passed since that day, and life had become...different, to be certain.

They passed by one another in the halls as Elsa went from meeting to meeting, her duties as queen keeping her occupied. They ate together when they could, and, sometimes, they managed to find a moment to themselves to try to rebuild the relationship that time had stolen from them. But...as hours turned to days, and days to weeks, Anna felt that, though they spoke more than ever before, she found herself struggling to recapture that same feeling she faintly recalled from their childhood.

She was Elsa, her sister, but now she was also Queen Elsa of Arendelle. She was the sister Anna recalled being her best friend and yet...at the same time, she was a completely different person.

Did she still sing to herself when she thought no one else was around? Did she still love to get lost in a book for days at a time? As much as she cherished having her sister back, the princess found it hard to ignore the uncertainty she still felt whenever the two were alone together. Elsa was a part of her life again...but, they were still so far apart.

That thought alone was enough to suffer through Captain Haile's training. The indignity of defeat, the aching and soreness, it was just enough to dull the unbearable pain she felt when she realized that, even after everything they'd been through, they may never again have what was taken from them.

Did that make her a bad sister? Did it make her something worse? Her heart ached whenever she thought of Elsa, an ache so profound she'd rather be pummeled into submission than bare it for even a moment.

_I love you._

As Anna soundlessly mouthed those words, words she'd spoken so freely and perhaps carelessly when Elsa woke her from death's embrace, she opened her eyes and flashed a tiny smile for the shadows dancing on the ceiling. Even through all the uncertainty, through the ache she felt when she tried to fit the here and now into her memories of the then and gone: she knew that she loved Elsa with all her heart.

That was the one thing of which her certainty never wavered.

Closing her eyes once more, Anna decided to wait until Vera came back to finish washing. Drifting in and out of sleep, the redhead hummed to herself. She wasn't sure where she'd heard it before, or why it came unbidden into her thoughts, but it was a song that felt so natural she couldn't help but continue to sing as she waited for her handmaiden's return.

**XXXX**

It was just after midnight when Anna slipped out of her room, dressed in her nightgown and already nursing a noticeable limp as she made her way back down the hall to her sister's room. She had considered simply going to sleep, but after tossing and turning for what seemed like forever, Anna accepted that, in spite of her fatigue, she just couldn't bring herself to fall asleep alone. And yet, when she reached the door to the Queen's bedroom, her knuckles froze inches away from the polished wooden surface.

What if Elsa was already asleep? What if she wanted to be alone? Maybe she'd been struggling with her own insomnia and had only just managed to drift off? She was the queen, didn't she need her rest to wake early?

"Is someone there?" A gentle voice called out from within the room.

Anna jumped, startled as she realized just how heavily she'd been breathing, and when she realized that her hand had been trembling and knocking against the door. Taking a deep breath and trying to settle her nerves, she gave the door a proper, respectful knock.

"E-Elsa? Are...are you still up? C-can I-!" Anna cleared her throat as the words began to form a lump that was cutting off her air, "Can I come in?" she finally asked, her voice breaking halfway through her request. Anna could feel her chest tightening once again and became increasingly aware of her breathing as the silence following her request seemed to grow longer and longer.

"I am. Please, come in, Anna," the queen replied after what seemed like forever. In reality, not even a second had passed.

It took Anna a moment to register her sister's response, but once the words became clear, she fumbled with the knob and quickly hurried inside. Realizing that she must have seemed in a hurry or frantic, Anna stopped in the doorway as casually a she could, trying to hide her eagerness. The panic she'd felt before melted away when her eyes locked with Elsa's, one perfect eyebrow arched and concern clear in her expression. The queen was lying in bed, on top of the covers with her back resting against the headboard. She closed the book in her lap and set it aside as she turned her full attention to her sister.

"Anna, are you alright?"

Elsa's voice, thick with worry, snapped the princess from her daze.

"Am I what? Oh...oh! Right, oh, gods, sorry! I know it's late, but I was just having trouble sleeping and, well, we haven't seen each other all day and I just…" Anna trailed off with a sigh, suddenly unsure about what to do with her hands. She reached up to brush her hair away from her face, flinching when her shoulder ached in protest. Her gaze fell on the book that Elsa had been holding and she couldn't help grinning with excitement.

"Were you reading? Is that...do you like reading? I mean, I know you used to like reading, but, I guess I haven't seen you read in a while, and I mean, that's probably stupid, of course you read, you are the queen. I guess I just…that's...still something...you do?" she finally asked, the tightness in her chest unwinding when Elsa laughed softly and nodded, resting her hand on the book's cover.

"It is, and I do. For the longest time it felt like...it was the only way I'd ever get to…" Elsa paused, her expression becoming unreadable.

"Get to leave the castle?" Anna finished for her, wincing as she leaned against the door frame. Her legs were trembling, her knees ready to give out, but she willed away those feelings of weakness. She'd stand forever if it meant this conversation could keep going.

Elsa smiled again and nodded, "That's right...on days like today, I think it may not be any further from the truth than it was back then."

Anna frowned, "Busy day?" When Elsa nodded, she bit her lip for a moment before continuing, "Wanna talk about it?"

The pain Anna had been suppressing seemed to vanish entirely when Elsa turned to her with a grateful smile.

"I'd like that...won't you join me?" The queen asked, patting the spot beside her on the bed when a minute passed and it seemed like Anna wasn't going to accept her invitation.

Anna nodded and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She silently cursed herself when, after no more than two steps, her right knee gave out and she stumbled, hand instinctively flying to her injured side as the sudden movement agitated her bruise. She quickly shook her head and held her hand out, motioning for Elsa to stay where she was.

"No, no, it's okay! I'm fine, just...a bit sore, that's all," She explained, a relieved sigh escaping her when she slid into Elsa's soft bed, resting her back against the headboard, mirroring Elsa's pose. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she turned to her sister and flashed her a smile that was only lightly marred by a grimace of pain, "So, rough day of ruling?"

It was clear that Elsa didn't entirely buy Anna's flimsy excuse. But, thankfully, she didn't push the issue. Laying her head back against the headboard, the queen gave a rather heavy sigh.

"It was...trying," Elsa began to explain. Her lips pursed, her nose scrunching in a way that Anna couldn't help but describe as adorable, as she considered how to continue, "It will still be some time before Arendelle recovers from the loss of crops and livestock caused by...recent events."

Recent events, Anna thought, was certainly one way to refer to what others throughout the kingdom were calling the "Eternal Winter." The redhead opened her mouth to console her sister, but the queen continued.

"And that's just Arendelle. The surrounding villages were devastated, and our nearest neighbors are reporting losses similar to those we've suffered," Elsa's hands trembled as she folded them in her lap. There was a noticeable drop in the temperature of the room as hers and Anna's breath became visible, "Repairing the damage I've caused is going to take months, even years. And that's only accounting for the material loss. The loss of confidence, of our people and our neighbors and allies...that may take a lifetime…"

"Maybe it will...but, you can't blame yourself for what happened, Elsa. It wasn't your fault," Anna insisted, her fingers flinching as she resisted the urge to reach out to her sister. After a moment of silent struggle, she quit resisting, reaching out and rubbing Elsa's shoulder gently. Her heart raced ever so slightly when Elsa rested her cheek against Anna's hand, "You'll win back their trust, and more. I know you will. You're going, no," She shook her head, "No, you ARE an amazing queen. They only need time to see that."

Elsa sighed and reached up to her shoulder taking Anna's hand in her own and squeezing it tight, "I wish I had your optimism…" she murmured.

Anna visibly flinched as she felt that familiar ache in her heart, recognizing the far-too-familiar suffering in her sister's eyes.

"Did anything else happen?" She asked, her voice so soft she almost couldn't hear herself speak. The two sat in silence for a moment, before the queen gave an almost comically big sigh that brought a smile to Anna's face.

"I spent so much of today receiving correspondence from our neighbors and allies," She finally turned to face Anna, a look of utter exasperation overtaking her previously distraught mood, "The Duke of Weselton is demanding that I reconsider my decision to cease trade with his nation," Elsa rolled her eyes, an uncharacteristically candid moment that earned a giggle from her sister, "As if leading an uprising against the crown and an attempt on my life was merely a misunderstanding."

"Ah yes," Anna managed between giggles, "It's so complicated, he wanted you dead and you didn't die. Just a little misunderstanding," Elsa's laughter was enough to make Anna's heart race, but when she gave her hand another squeeze, the princess felt that same surge of confidence that had filled her when she was sparring with the Captain.

Still laughing, Elsa nodded, "Of course, how could I be so mistaken?" The two laughed again, until a comfortable silence fell over the room. "I haven't decided yet how to respond to his demands," Elsa admitted.

"Is he demanding or begging?" Anna asked. She was delighted when Elsa responded without missing a beat.

"I'm certain the some men don't know the difference," she muttered.

Eager to keep the conversation from fading, and feeling inspired seeing this less stately, less proper side of Elsa, Anna cleared her throat and spoke in her most dignified voice.

"After careful consideration of your proposal, I have decided that you should shove it up your-" Anna giggled when Elsa gave her a tiny shove and gasped "Anna!" Despite the tone of her voice, it was clear from the look in her eyes, and the way she began to giggle uncontrollably that the queen must have approved of the princess's response.

"What? I think it's appropriate! The man tried to have you killed, there's no law saying you have to forgive him!" Anna insisted.

Elsa shook her head, fighting to get her smile under control. She paused for a moment before she began to laugh again. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, returning the room to its original temperature, she cleared her throat.

Anna sat enraptured as Elsa effortlessly transformed into the Queen of Arendelle.

"Most Honored Duke of Weselton, I hope this missive finds you well. I have received your proposal, and have given it my most thoughtful consideration. Our nations have long been friends and allies in trade and diplomacy, a relationship that I hope should not be sullied by such trivialities as insurrection and assassination. To ensure the continuation of such a prosperous relationship, I shall reconsider my decision on the eve that the sun sets in the east or when the last star vanishes from the night sky, whichever shall first come to pass," Elsa finished, maintaining her composure for a moment before she began to giggle uncontrollably once again.

"I'm sorry, that was terrible," Elsa apologized, still fighting to control her laughter.

"What? That was incredible!" Anna exclaimed, "Mine was juvenile, yours was so...majestic. See? I told you, you're an amazing queen, Elsa!"

Elsa laughed again, "I should hope I have more to offer my kingdom than pretty insults."

And just like that, like a candle had been snuffed out, Anna felt the mood darken as Elsa turned away, her smile slowly fading. Refusing to let the evening end on a sour note, and finding it harder to keep upright as sleep threatened to overwhelm her, Anna slid a bit closer, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder. Wrapping her arms around Elsa's, she laced her fingers through her sister's before motioning toward the book that had been set to the side.

"What were you reading?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

Elsa glanced over to the book, picking it up with her free hand.

"The Tales and Travels of Jarro Lightfeather. It's about a talented young man who lost his parents when he was very young...he goes on adventures around the world, hunting for mysterious artifacts and hidden treasures, hoping that if he makes enough of a name for himself they might return one day," she explained, opening the book to the place where she had left off, setting a bookmarker she'd had since she was a girl on the stand beside her bed.

There was a moment of hesitation, both sisters knowing what they wanted next, but neither sure if they should be the one to ask. Finally, Elsa broke the silence.

"Do you...want me to read it to you?" She asked in a small voice, a stark contrast to the authority she'd spoken with earlier, "Like...I used to?" she finished, turning to Anna.

The redhead bit her lip, afraid of what she might say if she opened her mouth. Without a word, she simply nodded and snuggled closer to her sister. As Elsa began to read, Anna felt her eyes growing heavier with each passing moment. She wanted nothing more than to stay awake all night, listening to the voices Elsa had given each of the characters, listening to her voice rise as she read an exciting passage, or to the way her words hitched as the characters fell into peril.

As much as she would have loved to stay up all night, her eyes eventually grew too heavy, and she felt herself drifting off to sleep. While it wasn't what she wanted most...she considered it a close second choice.

**XXXX**

Outside, a storm raged on, heavy raindrops slamming against their tiny wooden shack, threatening to topple it over as every angry peel of thunder shook its walls. Inside, the pair were curled up together, a tangle of hair and limbs as they rode out the storm beneath several thick wool blankets. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace, but its warm glow only cast so far, its dwindling cinders desperately trying to stay lit as a thin layer of ice coated the walls.

"You still awake?" She asked, peeking one eye open. Her companion was facing away from her, her body trembling as she frantically drew in panicked breaths, every one of them visible in a spray of snowflakes. The redhead frowned, her fingers lightly trailing across her partner's hip as one arm wrapped around her waist, the other carefully sliding underneath her neck and around her shoulders to pull her even closer. She breathed in deep as she buried her nose in her beloved's snow-white hair, a sigh escaping her lips.

"I hate storms…" The white-haired woman mumbled, both hands tightly clutching the one the redhead had wrapped around her shoulders.

"I know, I know...you're okay, I'm here, okay?" The redhead assured her, pressing her lips against her companion's neck. The two snuggled closer together, the redhead smiling when she heard a soft moan escape her partner's lips.

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, until another deafening crack of thunder rattled the shack, causing her partner to smother a shriek behind her hands and the redhead to tighten her protective embrace. When the rumble faded, the soft sound of sobbing joined the chorus of the raging storm.

"Will...will you sing to me?" the white-haired woman asked, her voice just a ghost of a whisper.

The redhead nodded, her lips parting ever so slightly as she began to sing. Though she was tired and her song was little more than a whisper itself, its haunting melody seemed to drown out the roaring thunder, until it was all either of them could hear.


	2. Heavy is the Crown

**Frozen**

_**A Melody from the Past**_

**Chapter 2: Heavy is the Crown**

It was still well before the sun would rise when the Queen of Arendelle's eyes fluttered open and a soft yawn escaped her lips. Quickly covering her mouth, she sat up, tilting her head one way, then the other, slowly stretching. Feeling movement beside her, she regarded the bed's other occupant.

Her sister was still fast asleep, her chest rising and falling in rhythm with her tiny, admittedly adorable, snores. Sprawled out across the bed, only half under the bed's covers, her hair an unruly mess, she was far from the picture of grace. She was, however, so entirely, completely Anna, and in that sense, she was absolutely perfect. The princess groaned and shifted in her sleep, the sudden movement snapping the Queen from her thoughts.

"Oh, Anna…" Elsa murmured, reaching out to brush the hair away from her sister's face. The moment her fingers touched her cheek, the serenity of the moment was shattered as Anna's skin suddenly turned blue, her temperature dropping until it was cold enough to begin to freeze the sheets. She was no longer breathing, no longer moving at all.

Elsa's eyes widened, her breathing becoming erratic as she stared at her sister's suddenly frozen form. She couldn't pull her hand away as the cold spread from her fingertips and consumed everything it touched. The walls were quickly coated in ice, her ceiling decorated with sharp, toothlike icicles that transformed the Queen's quarters into a gaping maw of ice and snow, threatening to swallow everything within. Distantly, she could hear a voice whispering "Conceal, don't feel" over and over again, growing louder with every second, until it was shouting in her ears. As the shouting reached a crescendo, everything suddenly went silent.

_You killed her._

The words, spoken in her own voice, dripping with venom and bitterness, stole the young queen's breath away. Her vision was beginning to swim, everything left in the world fading into a blackness that framed her sister's frozen form. The screams had returned, becoming a howling storm, and the ice that had stolen her sister's life was beginning to work its way up her fingertips, her own skin becoming a lifeless shade of blue.

A knock at the door snapped Elsa out of her thoughts, the frozen hellscape around her vanishing in an instant. Once again, Anna was fast asleep, moaning softly as she rolled over and wrapped herself entirely in the covers, pulling them up to her chin.

"Your Majesty?" A soft, dry voice called from outside.

Elsa tugged her hand back, holding it in the other, checking her fingers for any residual frost. Other than her breathing, and the snowflakes fluttering in the air, the room was as it should be. She was as she should be.

"Come in," Elsa called, slipping out of bed and walking to her window, still rubbing her hand as she gazed out at the fjord, watching as some of the earliest merchant ships made their way toward the harbor. She shuddered, clutching her hands to her chest when the door opened and closed gently. Taking a deep breath, desperate to settle her nerves, she let herself become the Queen as she turned to face the young handmaiden.

"To what d-do I owe the pleasure of your company this morning, Vera?" Inwardly, she cursed herself as her voice caught momentarily in her throat. To her credit, Elsa thought, the handmaiden either didn't notice, or chose not to.

Vera curtseyed and bowed her head, gesturing toward the Queen's bed.

"I don't mean to intrude, Your Majesty, but, I've come to retrieve Her Highness," As Vera lifted her head and glanced toward the bed, Elsa noticed the faintest hint of a smile on her lips, before it was replaced with the girl's usual restraint, "If it pleases you," she quickly added, bowing her head once more.

Elsa smiled as she turned to look at her sister once again. No ice, no stillness...just Anna. Closing her eyes and taking what she hoped was a subtle deep breath, she shook her head.

"That won't be necessary, Vera. Let us leave her to sleep a bit longer, she had trouble falling asleep last night," the Queen explained as she moved to begin preparing for her day. She likely still had time before she'd be needed elsewhere, but there was no sense in putting off her morning routine.

She likely wouldn't be able to go back to sleep if she tried.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Vera began with another curtsey, "Will you be requiring my assistance in preparation for your day? I understand your schedule is quite...full, as of late," Vera asked, keeping her head bowed, "Since I am already here."

"No. Thank you, though, Vera. I believe I need some time to myself," Elsa assured her, gazing at her reflection in her standing mirror. From the reflection she could see a brief flash of emotion on Vera's face. Anna's handmaiden was well known for her restraint; rather, she was known for her lack of emotion entirely. There were, however, moments where she let her facade falter, when she was certain no one else could see.

"As you wish, Your Majesty. I'll not trouble you further." With one last curtsey, Vera turned to leave the room.

"Vera," Elsa called, now watching the young girl's reflection closely. There was a moment of hesitation before she turned to the Queen once more.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Elsa pondered for a moment if she should even pursue the question tickling her brain. She, once again, saw a flash of Anna's frozen face in her mind, settling the debate.

"Anna was not visiting Kristoff last night, was she?" It was more a statement than a question, a fact that wasn't lost on the teenager. When Vera hesitated to reply, Elsa continued, "When she came to my room last night, she could barely walk, and she was holding her side as though she'd been injured. I don't imagine that Kristoff would allow her to get in such a situation."

"Your Majesty," Vera finally spoke up. She was speaking slower now, carefully choosing each word as she continued, "It is not my place to make such a request, however, for Her Highness' sake, I must request that you not ask me to lie to you...again," she quickly added as she bowed her head once more.

Elsa narrowed her eyes, her gaze leaving Vera's reflection to focus on her sister's sleeping form. Anna had rolled over, again throwing the covers off, and was now lying on her back. Elsa could make out a bruise forming on her right shin, and noticed how Anna was still holding her side, even in her sleep. Pursing her lips, Elsa took a moment to collect her thoughts and choose her own words with the same care Vera had.

She finally settled on asking, "Is she in any danger?"

This time, Vera did little to hide the tiny smile on her lips.

"No, Your Majesty," The smile disappeared from her lips, her expression becoming utterly unreadable, "I will make sure of that, Your Majesty."

Sighing, Elsa finally allowed herself to relax, turning to face the handmaiden with a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Vera. That is all. You may return to your other duties." With one last curtsey, the teenager slipped out of the room, leaving the Queen to prepare for her day.

**XXXX**

While Elsa had been queen for little under a month, she'd quickly come to dread any meeting called by the Council of Twelve. The Council was made up of a number of Arendelle's oldest and most influential noble families, as well as a handful of the kingdom's elected officials. While they surely seemed to have Arendelle's best interest in mind, Elsa wasn't fool enough to ignore how many among them hungered for even more riches and influence. The meetings frequently became a battle of wills and egos, each member eager to dip their fingers in another's honey pot.

Each discussion managed to somehow drag every last second out of each minute, while simultaneously burning away the daylight at record pace. As yet another argument broke out, Elsa found her focus wavering, instead drifting away from the shouting to focus on anything else in the room.

Were it not for the company it hosted, it would have been a beautiful room. Large enough to comfortably seat twice the usual number of occupants, with a high ceiling and two large windows that looked out toward the North Mountain. The windows were framed by great burgundy curtains which had remained closed through countless meetings until the Queen grew tired of the dreary candle light that previously lit the room. There were portraits lining the walls; not of stern rulers, but of wondrous places from around the world, each of them a gift that had been presented to the royal family.

The great table they sat at was, Elsa had to admit, her favorite piece that tied the whole room together. Carved from what her father had called mahogany, it was a gift to her grandfather from a distant kingdom. Covered by an equally impressive tablecloth to preserve the pristine surface, the legs had always most fascinated the young queen. Carved to resemble those of a lion, they ended in impressive claws, and were decorated with intricate designs, each different, but somehow still fitting with one another.

Like snowflakes. Elsa thought, a smile finding its way to her lips.

While she'd grown to despise the room and the company it kept, Elsa couldn't help but run her hand along the table's smooth, flawless edge. It had seen countless meetings such as this one, some far more hostile than today's, and had survived each of them in turn. It was the least she could do to try to match its tenacity.

"Your Majesty, would you make a decision and settle this matter?" Lord Eberlin, one of the council's oldest, most revered, and most feared, members, demanded.

Keeping her expression neutral, and suppressing the urge to ignore him entirely and go back to admiring her table, the Queen turned her gaze toward Lord Eberlin. She must have failed to completely banish the frost from her eyes, because Lord Eberlin quickly cleared his throat and returned to his seat.

"If it pleases Your Majesty, of course," He muttered, his voice trailing off with a shiver as he caught sight of his own breath.

Elsa turned to face Lord Eberlin's opponent, Lady Tillisch, with a similar reaction. Quite the opposite of Lord Eberlin, Lady Tillisch had only recently joined the council after her father's passing. Only a few years older than the queen, she seemed to always be at odds with someone, perhaps overly eager to prove herself to the more seasoned members.

She gave the pair a moment to cool off, both figuratively and quite literally as she struggled to rein in her emotions and get the temperature of the room back to normal. Satisfied that there would be no further shouting, Elsa nodded.

"I believe that Lady Tillisch is correct, the agreement between the Merchant's Guild and Magnolia would certainly be a boon for Arendelle's economy. However, I do agree with Lord Eberlin's objections with regards to the timing of this arrangement. We cannot, in good faith, host such an extravagant event while those most affected by...recent events...are still struggling to get back on their feet." Elsa closed her eyes, pausing for effect as she nodded, "We will bring this matter up for discussion again in the near future." Her words left no further room for argument as she rose from her seat.

"I thank you all for coming today. I will send word when we are to next meet. Please, speak with Kai if you've any other proposals for consideration. Our meeting is adjourned. You are all dismissed," Without waiting, having learned just a week ago that doing so would result in at least another hour of discussion, Elsa took her leave.

As she left the room, she was joined by Kai, her royal attendant.

"I trust your meeting went...as well as could be expected?" He asked with a knowing smile as he fell into step behind her.

Elsa allowed herself a small, humorless chuckle as she nodded and continued to make her way toward the throne room. If she wasn't mistaken, she had…

"Our honored guest from afar has arrived and is awaiting your audience, Your Majesty," Kai explained, earning himself another nod.

"Of course, please, send him in once I've had time to settle."

With a bow, Kai separated from the queen, leaving to fetch the guest. Finally alone, Elsa sighed and let her mind wander once more as her feet carried her onwards to her destination. She still had to meet with the scholar, but, once that was taken care of, she'd finally be free to retire to her study and make an attempt to catch up on her paperwork: proposals to consider, treaties to negotiate, and correspondence to answer. She quickly covered her mouth as she began to giggle, recalling the night before.

She was tempted to draft the response to the Duke of Weselton that she'd given Anna last night, but she was certain that would be ill-advised. And yet, knowing that Anna would find it absolutely hilarious had her earnestly considering taking that risk.

Her laughter subsiding, Elsa's expression settled on a gentle smile.

How would Anna have handled meeting with the Council of Twelve? She'd always been far more headstrong than Elsa herself; never one to leave some injustice unchallenged or some slight unanswered. Would she have sided with Lord Eberlin, focusing their efforts and resources on tending to the damaged crops and ailing farmers who suffered the most from the sudden winter? Or, perhaps she'd have sided with Lady Tillisch, bringing Magnolia's Grand Bazaar to Arendelle, along with all the festivities that came with it, to bring smiles to the citizens' faces and relieve the tension they must be feeling?

Elsa's mood darkened as the image from before flashed in her mind. Anna's frozen form, her breath stopped, her heart still. Subconsciously, she began to wring her hands, her breath hitching as she focused on maintaining control of her powers. Was she starting to lose control again? Was it a warning? She'd never hurt Anna...not again. No, she'd do anything to prevent that from ever happening again. That was why…

Elsa's thoughts trailed off as she nodded to the guards on either side of the throne room doors. The throne in sight before her, she focused on the coming meeting. The details regarding their visitor were sparse. Kai had mentioned he was a traveling scholar, interested in the rich history hidden within the castle's great library. He hadn't mentioned, however, what it was the scholar specialized in.

Taking her seat, Elsa looked up just as the doors began to open again. She must have taken longer than she anticipated, she thought, forcing a smile to her face as Kai entered and announced the visitor.

"Queen Elsa, I present Scholar Safiya from the Kingdom of Granfel," With a bow, Kai stepped aside to allow the visitor to enter.

Wrapped in a cloak of dark green and black, the scholar was a short man with remarkably broad shoulders. He was hunched over from age, walking with a gnarled wooden cane, eyes hidden behind a thick pair of glasses. While he was clearly quite old, if his almost comically long, gray beard - the tip of his beard dragged along the floor, somehow never getting caught under his feet or his cane - was any indication. He somehow managed to walk with both a limp and a spring in his step. He paused and turned to Kai.

"Thank you, my good sir! I must say, you are far too kind!" With a raspy cackle, not an unfriendly laugh at all, he scurried further into the room, glancing up at the young queen, "Ah! There she is, there she is! Queen Elsa! My dear, I've heard much about you, yes I have!" Chuckling again, he picked up his pace, hurrying to the throne.

Elsa began to rise from her seat, but the scholar shook his head.

"No, no! Please, please! It's not at all proper for a queen to rise for a silly old man! I'll hurry along!" As the scholar continued toward the throne, Elsa threw a look toward her steward. Kai nodded and hurried to the side of the room, returning with a chair.

Safiya looked at the chair, then to Elsa with a sparkle in his eyes, "My word, Arendelle's hospitality is bountiful, Your Majesty! Oh thank you, these tired bones will surely not turn away such generosity." With a big sigh, the old man took his seat and began to smooth out his beard, running his hand from his chin to its tip, "Ah there we are, there we are! Forgive me, Your Majesty, I fear if I were to kneel I may not get up again!" He laughed again and Elsa couldn't resist a polite chuckle.

"It's quite alright, Sir Safiya. Arendelle is honored to receive someone of your talents. I trust your trip was a pleasant one?"

"Oh it was ever so lovely, thank you for asking! Quite a long trip, I must say, but well worth the journey. Arendelle is every bit as beautiful as I had read...and, if I may be so bold, as are you, Your Majesty. The honor is all mine, I assure you," Safiya rambled, still stroking his beard. Then, without missing a beat, he continued, "Eh, forgive my boldness, but, are the rumors true? Are you in possession of some magical power? I heard, from a source of dubious reliability I must admit, that you're able to conjure winter winds and erect structures of ice with little more than your hands and a thought!"

Normally, such forwardness regarding her magic would have caused Elsa a moment of discomfort. But, it was the way he spoke, his eyes wide and his voice trembling with childlike wonder, that set her mind at ease and brought another smile to her face. After a moment of consideration, Elsa lifted her hand and, with a twirl of her wrist, crafted a frozen statue of a reindeer before the scholar's eyes.

She laughed softly when the old man leaped from his chair, hobbling over to the statue, oohs and ahhs escaping him as he inspected it.

"It is true! Moon, sun, and stars, I never imagined…" He murmured as he looked over her, admittedly rushed, handiwork, "It gives off a chilly aura, perhaps shielding itself from the heat of the room? Yes...and such precision...I know many an artisan who would turn red with envy if he were to see your skill, Your Majesty!" The scholar raved, tapping on the ice first with his cane, then, feeling braver, running his hand along it.

"You're not afraid? Most people react quite differently to seeing my magic for the first time," Elsa inquired, rising from her throne and joining the scholar in observing the statue.

"Oh, yes, yes, most do. Why, I recall, and mind you my memory isn't what it used to be, but, I do recall the first time I saw the supernatural for myself. It must have been, oh, fifty years ago...it was nothing compared to this, mind you. His abilities were mere parlor tricks, designed to hustle coin from unsuspecting travelers, but this? This is truly something to marvel at…"

His answer caught the Queen off guard.

"You've...seen magic before?" Elsa asked incredulously.

"My word, yes. It is rare in this day and age, I assure you, but, you are not alone, Your Majesty. Magic is still alive and well in this world...that is part of what brought me here! You see, ahem, forgive my manners, I'm already rambling, aren't I?" Safiya gave a wistful sigh, patting the ice-reindeer's nose before returning to his seat, groaning as he sat down.

Her interest piqued, Elsa returned to her throne.

"Please continue, Scholar Safiya," Elsa insisted with a nod.

**XXXX**

Her meeting with the scholar finished and the old man safely tucked away in the castle library, Elsa had retired to her study to pour over the documents remaining from the day prior, along with the new ones that had arrived throughout the day. Sitting back in her seat, she sighed as she held her head. She could feel a headache coming on.

It had been a long day, one that seemed to only be getting longer with every passing moment. She was desperately lonely, as she considered the stack of letters and documents she'd yet to review. Normally, she'd have found the time to enjoy dinner with her sister, but, the council meeting and her meeting with Safiya had gone much longer than she'd anticipated. Not only that, but she knew putting off her correspondence would only cause the monumental pile to grow ever larger, robbing her of even more time to spend with her sister as the days unfolded.

Her visits with Anna had become the sole grounding point to her day, allowing her, even if for a moment, to cease being the Queen and to simply be Elsa. It was when she was with Anna that she could smile honestly, that she could laugh freely, or that she could breathe easily. Despite the old man's good nature, she couldn't help but keep her guard up around the scholar, or her own attendants. And Freya knew that every moment she spent with the Council only made her anxiety worse.

Plucking a letter from the pile she'd been working through, Elsa's eyes narrowed and a noticeable chill fell over the room. The letter was sealed with the crest of the royal family of the Southern Isles. She considered for a moment opening it, if only to have another topic of ridicule to share with Anna. However, the thought of hearing any of that lot's voices in her mind as she read their treacherous words filled her with disgust. Without a second thought, she tossed the letter aside, the envelope already encased in a thick sheet of ice.

Elsa resumed her thankless work, finally allowing herself a moment to craft a proper response to the Duke of Weselton. Once again she found herself laughing as she heard Anna's voice in her mind, telling the Duke where to shove his letter. Shaking her head and wearing an amused smile, she decided against open hostility in her response.

As she wrote, she found herself humming a song she'd heard Anna singing the night before, after she'd dozed off. Elsa wasn't exactly sure where it had come from. It was a song that was somehow unknowable, yet comfortably familiar at the same time. As her humming turned to soft singing, that mystery drifted out of her thoughts. As her song came to a close, Elsa set her pen aside, satisfied with her draft.

While she waited for the ink to dry, she leaned back, resting her eyes for a moment. She still had one last arrangement to see to before the night was done, so she figured it wise to rest for just a moment.

_She's dead because of you._

Elsa's eyes snapped open. Quickly sitting up, she looked around the room, expecting to find it covered in ice and snow. There was a thin layer of ice starting to spread from where her feet touched the ground, but she quickly willed it away with a thought, wrapping her arms around her middle and focusing on her breathing. Focusing on her thoughts of Anna. As quickly as it came, the feeling passed, leaving the Queen shivering.

A knock at the door startled the Queen, allowing her to finally release the breath she'd been holding. While she'd asked to not be disturbed, she welcomed the distraction.

"Come in," She called, sitting back and resuming a more regal posture as she turned to the newcomer. It was Thorold, captain of the city guard. He paused just inside the doorway, saluting and then bowing. Elsa nodded, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Captain Thorold?"

Thorold was quite unlike his counterpart in the Queen's Guard. Where Captain Haile was a loud, commanding, mountain of a man, Thorold was soft spoken and ever professional. She'd heard guards and servants alike gossiping that even after a gallon of liquor the man seemed unphased and ever the gentleman. As such, Elsa knew he'd never have disturbed her if it weren't of the utmost importance.

"Your Majesty," Despite the calm in his deep voice, Elsa could see the concern in his eyes, "I am terribly sorry for disturbing you this evening. However, there is a matter regarding the Elderwoods that I feel requires your attention," Glancing up to ensure he could continue, Thorold nodded, "Recently, we've received reports of bandit attacks in the Elderwoods. I've dispatched several of my men, but, they've come back empty handed...until tonight, that is."

"Were they able to find the culprits?" Elsa asked, gleaning what information she could from the Captain's body language. She frowned when Thorold shook his head.

"Not exactly, Your Majesty. We've not been able to apprehend the culprits, however, three of my men were attacked by what we presume to be the group responsible. Aesir's blessing, they all returned alive, however, they were gravely injured and will be out of commission for some time." Thorold paused, the corner of his mouth twitching before he continued, "These were three of my most skilled men. And yet, they report that when they were attacked, they weren't able to even see their attackers. I fear what may transpire if we allow this situation to fester, Your Majesty."

"I understand, Captain...please, ensure their families are cared for as they recover. Have we expanded our patrol routes through the Elderwoods? Is there any assistance I can provide to aid in resolving this matter?" Elsa asked, her fingers tugging at the fabric of her dress. She released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding when the Captain shook his head.

"Not at this time, Your Majesty. I merely wanted to make you aware of the situation. I've doubled the number of men I have patrolling the Elderwoods. My men are also asking around town and investigating the neighboring villages, primarily Greenriver, to see if we can gather more information about these bandits and where they are held up. Once we find where they're hiding, we'll make quick work of them, I assure you," The Captain saluted and bowed once more, "That is all, Your Majesty."

Elsa nodded, "Thank you for all your hard work, Captain Thorold. I would also ask that you bring this matter to Lady Gudrun's attention. She may be able to provide additional assistance in sorting out where these bandits are hiding," She advised.

Thorold nodded and bowed once more, "I shall make my way to see Lady Gudrun at once, by your leave." After receiving a nod from his queen, Thorold turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

As it clicked shut, Elsa looked down at her hands. The fabric of her dress that she'd been fussing with had frozen solid. Her paperwork would have to wait. Now, more than ever, she needed to make her way to her final meeting for the night.

**XXXX**

Standing barefoot on a secluded beach off the northern edge of Arendelle, Elsa watched the waves roll in and out, lapping gently at the course sand. She held her hand out, watching as frigid air bent to her will, coming together to form a rather large, but immensely sharp, spear. The spear floated around above her hand, suspended in the air by her magic. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she hurled it toward the sea, watching it shatter as it collided with one of the numerous sharp rocks that littered the waters off that beach. Those same rocks made this the perfect location for her meeting, warning away ships from stumbling upon her secret meeting.

"A good shot," A voice called out over the crashing waves, "Your aim is getting better, Your Majesty."

Elsa glanced over her shoulder, smiling as Captain Haile paused for a moment to offer her a polite bow.

"I've told you before, Captain, there's no need for such formalities when we meet like this. Here I am not the Queen, I am just a student," she insisted as moved to join him.

"Aye, and I've told you to stop with the Captain nonsense out here. I'm not your commander, Elsa, I'm just an old man who knows how to swing a sword," Captain Haile laughed, tossing the satchel he'd been carrying aside. With a loud groan, thankfully masked by the crashing waves, Captain Haile marched to the edge of the beach and looked out toward the rock that Elsa had struck.

"Nearly cleaved that stone in two," He pointed out with a whistle, "You must have had some Hel of a day, did you, girl?"

Elsa crossed her arms and pursed her lips, "We'll just say I needed this after today," she answered, leaving it at that.

The Captain shrugged and chuckled, tossing his sword into the sand and settling his massive shield on his arm, "I've had many of those days in my time. Best thing you can do is work up a sweat and go to bed sore. Gets the grief out of you," He explained.

Elsa smiled, realizing quickly that she agreed. Not even a day after she returned to Arendelle and released the spell she'd placed on it, she'd sought out her dear Uncle Haile's assistance in learning to better control her powers. And to better defend herself, should the need ever arise. They didn't meet often, but when they did their training would last well into the night, until the Queen was scarcely able to summon even a snowflake. Though it had been little less than a month, she was proud of the progress she'd been making.

"No one saw you leave, did they?" Elsa asked, suddenly worried that their secret might be discovered. She wasn't ashamed of her powers anymore, nor was she ashamed that she was learning to defend herself. She did, however, fear that if word got out, it might spread to the surrounding kingdoms. They already feared her powers, if they learned that she was studying to improve them, to weaponize them, even if it was for self-defense, it may cause them to panic.

Or, worse, she feared that Anna may find out and insist on helping her, even if it put herself at risk.

The Captain laughed, moving to stand across from the Queen.

"I may be big as a bear, but I'm quiet as a mouse, girl. Your secret is safe. Now, did we come here to chat or did we come here to fight? I'm at your service either way, but this shield doesn't get any lighter!" the Captain took up a defensive stance and Elsa quickly followed, "You did a good number on that rock, let's start by practicing some more with those spears you like so much."

Elsa nodded and took a deep breath. Slowly letting it out, she concentrated her power in the air around her, using her hands merely as a guide for the magic as it solidified into another spear-like icicle. With a thrust of her arm, the icicle shot out, shattering as the Captain repelled it with a flick of his arm.

"Nice shot! Keep it up now, I'm giving you five minutes before I charge in," Captain Haile called, deflecting another icicle with a simple backhand.

Elsa nodded, mostly ignoring the Captain's words as she kept her focus on controlling her powers. While one hand directed an icicle spear, the other focused on conjuring a new one. Soon, she found her rhythm, firing one as another was summoned. Each of them bounced harmlessly off the Captain's shield, but as she continued they came faster and faster.

"Don't always aim for the same spot, it makes it too easy to predict!"

Heeding the Captain's words, Elsa began to move, searching for holes in his defense. The icicles weren't sharp enough to pierce the skin, but if one of them met their mark, they'd leave a nasty bruise, as the pair had found out the first time Elsa managed to slip one past Haile's shield. She'd been horrified at the time, but the old man had never seemed prouder.

"_Don't you worry for me, you can't break anything I haven't broken already,"_ He'd said back then. It pained her to see him hurt, but she trusted him to know when enough was enough, so she let herself focus instead on her own performance.

"There you go! Now, get ready! Here I come!"

Elsa's eyes widened as the Captain suddenly shot forward, snatching his sword from the ground and clearing the distance between them in what felt like an instant. She didn't have time to admire the man's unbelievable speed before she found herself backing off, waving her hands to create temporary shields of ice in the air to deflect his attacks.

"Don't just focus on defending! Look for an opening to strike! A good defense will keep you alive, but it won't win you any battles!"

Though it was just a wooden sword, it took most of Elsa's concentration to keep deflecting his blows. Each of her shields shattered the moment the sword's dull edge collided with them, but they did their job, keeping her unharmed despite the power behind the Captain's blows.

The pair moved around the sands, Elsa doing her best to keep from tripping over her feet. Narrowing her eyes, hearing Lord Eberlin's booming voice echoing in her memory, she took a bold step toward the Captain. This time, she concentrated the ice around her hand forming a crude blade as she took a swing at him. The icy blade shattered against the Captain's shield, but it bought her enough time to thrust her other hand out, releasing a burst of frigid wind powerful enough to force the giant man back several steps.

"Haha! Now that's more like it! Let's pick it up, shall we?"

Back and forth the pair moved across the rapidly cooling sands. Much as she tried to keep her powers focused around herself, as she began to wear down under Haile's relentless attack, Elsa felt her control slipping, causing icicles to spread across the ground and begin to crawl up the cliffside that overlooked the tiny beach.

"Let's practice that dodge then!"

The world exploded in a blinding flash of colors as a tremendous force collided with Elsa's chest and sent her flying through the air, crashing into the sand. Groaning, her head spinning and her chest burning as she tried to catch her breath, Elsa found herself staring up at the cloudless night sky. Her vision swam as she tried to get her arms and legs to listen to her commands. As her vision cleared up, she noticed a massive hand reaching out toward her.

"My apologies, Your Majesty. I may have gotten a bit carried away with that last attack," Captain Haile apologized, his voice uncharacteristically soft and subdued as he knelt down beside her, helping her side up. "Are you alright, Elsa?" he asked, cradling her in his arms.

"I'm...I'm fine…" Elsa managed to breathe out, going limp as she stared up at the night sky, trying to catch her breath. She was certainly in better shape than she had been a month ago, but the combined effort of physically keeping up with the Captain's movements, and focusing her powers to be both effective offensive strikes and defensive maneuvers quickly drained her ever-improving stamina.

"Just...caught off...guard…" Elsa huffed out between deep gulps of air. She nodded and silently thanked Captain Haile as he helped her to her feet, holding her steady when she nearly toppled over again.

"Well, that's what we're here to work on, isn't it? You've definitely gotten stronger, even a week ago a blow like that would have put you out cold!" The Captain laughed. Though he was joking, the guilt in his voice was impossible to miss.

"You're right...thank you, Cap, ahem," Elsa stood up straight, her breathing returning to normal. For a moment, as she clutched her chest, still throbbing with pain, she wondered what had possessed her to request something so...undignified, from the captain of the Queen's Guard, no less. But, as she closed her eyes, she saw a flash of Anna's frozen face, and knew that she'd made the right decision.

She gave the Captain's massive hand a pat and offered him a sincere smile, "Thank you, Uncle Haile. I know this arrangement is irregular, but I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate what you're doing for me."

Captain Haile laughed, a touch harder than Elsa felt her comment warranted, and gave her a rough pat on the back.

"It isn't quite as irregular as you may think, Your Majesty." Captain Haile cleared his throat and, after making sure she could stand on her own, went to retrieve his sword. "Well then, are you ready for more?"

Elsa took one last calming breath and opened her eyes, letting it out slowly. The Captain turned to face her, sword and shield at the ready. Spreading her feet and raising her hands, she took up her defensive stance. As the pain faded, it was replaced by the sensation of her power spreading through her body, from the tips of her toes to the tips of her fingers. The air around her hands began to sparkle with snowflakes.

"Let us continue," she commanded, this time taking the offensive as she rushed toward the Captain.


	3. Deadly Horizons

**Frozen**

_**A Melody from the Past**_

**Chapter 3: Deadly Horizons**

The courtyard of the Salt King was alive with activity and hushed whispers as the young prince forced his way through the crowd. He paused as a handmaiden bumped into him, steadying her and the basket she'd been carrying.

"M-my apologies, Prince Hans! I-it won't happen again, Your Highness," she stammered out, turning a bashful gaze away from the prince.

Hans offered her a smile and gave her shoulder a gentle pat.

"It's alright, Yilda, please, don't let me keep you from your duties," he assured her, moving aside to give her room to pass. He nodded, still smiling as she thanked him and hurried on her way. No sooner had she faded from view, the smile vanished from Hans' face, his gentle gaze hardening into a glare as he approached the doors to the throne room.

Word had traveled fast about the ship that had been attacked off the coast of their colony in Arway. The Southern Isles were a small kingdom, but their navy's reputation far exceeded their nation's size. Pirates and raiders were a daily inconvenience for the people of the Southern Isles, but they slept easy knowing that vengeance would be swift and inevitable. This time, though, was different from before. The retaliatory force that had been sent to deal with the attackers had vanished as quickly as the first. Just one of the sailors survived, only having just made his way back to the kingdom as day broke that morning.

"Please, excuse me, His Majesty is awaiting my arrival," Hans spoke up, a hush falling over the gathered crowd. Merchants, soldiers, nobles alike had swarmed the courtyard, hoping to be the first to hear the survivor's tale. Upon catching sight of the prince, they moved aside to allow him to approach the gates. Hans glanced at the guards stationed at the entryway, nodding as one moved to open the gate.

"Has it really been like this all morning?" Hans asked as he tightened his gloves and straightened his jacket. It wasn't often the Salt King called on him, he hadn't quite been sure of what to wear and had chosen formality over practicality.

The guard grunted and rolled his eyes, "The scavengers couldn't wait to get a bit of gossip. Would you like us to clear them out, Your Highness?" There was a hopeful, menacing glint in the guard's eyes, his hand moving to the sword hanging from his hip.

The corner of Hans' mouth twitched. Shaking his head, he sighed, "Let them have their gossip. If the Salt King wants them cleared out, he'll give the command." From the corner of his eye, Hans caught sight of the guard muttering a curse under his breath as he nodded and released his weapon.

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Hans wasn't the least surprised by the disdain with which the guard spat his title. Without any further pleasantries, the prince stepped into the castle, his gaze unwavering as the doors were slammed shut behind him. Though it was muffled by the heavy wooden doors, he heard the distinctive sound of a scream as the guard turned his frustrations on the crowd, to spite the prince, no doubt.

Hans paused for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching again as his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his own sword. The crowd would surely enjoy the bloodbath, should he return to "scold" the guard who had disobeyed his direct order, but, he doubted the Salt King would take kindly to the "Wastral Prince" dishing out justice to His men.

Quite unlike the hustle and bustle outside its mighty walls, the castle itself was eerily quiet. Servants came and went, their heads low, their lips shut tight. Whatever news the sailor had brought, it had surely soured the King's good mood. Hans allowed himself the briefest of smiles. The Salt King's good mood? There was no better joke in all the Southern Isles.

Marching through the halls, the click of his boots the only sound that dared disturb the castle's silence, Hans considered the hushed whispers and rumors he'd heard as he made his way through the crowd. The sailor had apparently returned a raving lunatic, both legs broken and half his face charred black, revealing the bone beneath. Of course, the superstitious townsfolk had come up with a number of reasons.

Perhaps sirens had led the ships to their doom? Or, maybe it was a great storm sent from the gods? Or, perhaps, some bloodthirsty warlord, one who had been thwarted one too many times by their navy, had returned to enact his swift and terrible vengeance?

There was no limit to the imaginations of peasants, Hans considered as he looked up at the doors to the Salt Throne. And, yet...as he entered the room, his eyes fell upon the very man in question. One eyebrow raised as he reconsidered his disbelief.

The man was a ghost of what he used to be. Oh, it was easy to see that he had been strong before, he was still broad and decked with muscles, but his face, what remained of it, was pale, his one working eye wide and fearful, his lips trembling as he sputtered the last of his story to the Salt King. The rumors, as it were, had been true. Half of the man's face was little more than charred skin and bone.

"What are you doing here, boy? I see no shit in need of shoveling in here," the King growled as Hans approached the throne. His lips curled into a sneer as the prince bowed without so much of as a hint of reaction to his words.

"You summoned your sons to the throne," Hans explained, his voice carefully devoid of anything resembling emotion. As he rose up, he once again tightened his gloves as the King scoffed.

"I did, and they arrived long ago, when they were summoned." The King rumbled, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the arms of his throne, his temper flaring when Hans continued to ignore him and took his spot beside his twelfth brother. With a snort, the King turned back to the sailor.

"Well, then, since the Wastral Prince has deigned to grace us with his presence," The King paused to chuckle at his own joke - several of his sons joining him in laughing out loud - before he leaned forward, arm resting on his knee, and continued, "Tell us again what happened, and make it quick, I don't have all day."

The sailor nodded, a guttural groan escaping his lipless mouth. Taking a shallow rasping breath, he shuddered as he recalled the events.

"We were hunting the raiders...just before dawn, but hadn't found anything. The Captain was tired and ready to call us back, when we saw this...incredible light, coming from just over the horizon," His words were slurred and hard to understand, but Hans couldn't help but pick up the awe in his voice as he described the sight, "At first we thought it was the sun rising, but...but, even the sun didn't shine this bright. This immense, golden light pouring out across the sea. I-I…" the sailor paused to draw in another pained breath, "I saw the sea begin to boil and steam as the light approached our ships. And...and then…" the sailor trailed off, burying the still functioning half of his face in his hand, gripping his knee so tightly that Hans could see his fingernails piercing his skin.

As the sailor began to sob, the King rolled his eyes and sat back in his throne.

"Aegir's ass! Weeping like a woman, again!" He scowled. When the sailor continued to shake and sob, the King sat up straight, "Get on with it, already!"

Hans frowned, folding his hands behind his back and paying close attention to what little facial expression the sailor had left. The Salt King seemed unimpressed by his tale, but there was no denying that the man was truly horrified by whatever had transpired. The prince narrowed his eyes, his lips twitching as he fought to keep his expression neutral when the sailor continued.

"The sky...the clouds parted and fi-fire...I saw fire...I-I s-saw...I saw fire pouring down like rain," He shuddered, a trickle of saliva dripping from a hole in the side of his mouth. "We couldn't fight back...th-there was no winning. Our ships were torn apart, I...I can still see my crew mates...b-burning alive, the fire was so hot the sea couldn't put it out!"

"And how, pray tell, did you survive this, ahem, miraculous encounter," Han's eldest brother, Caim, asked, his voice thick with sarcastic venom. A few of his brothers chuckled as the sailor shook his head, face still buried in his hands.

"I saw him...I...I saw the...he let me live. He...his crew dragged me out of the wreckage and...and I saw him."

Hans frowned when his brother, Hendrick, elbowed him in the side, a grin on his face.

"This is the best part," He pointed out, childlike glee behind his sneer.

"He was...he was big, so big...s-so impossibly tall. In g-golden armor, fire pouring from his helmet's eyes. Th-the...the...he gr-grabbed me," The sailor jerked, pointing to the destroyed half of his face, "He grabbed my face and t-told...he told me...he said...to warn you th-that...that he was coming."

"And, then he burnt your face with his hand, didn't he?" Caim jeered once again. Several of the brothers laughed again when the sailor nodded.

Hans glanced toward his father, seeing a dismissive sneer on his face as well.

"It was like...it...his hand suddenly...my face...flames everywhere. I...I can still feel it, I can still…" the sailor trailed off again, his words lost in another gurgled sob.

"What did you call him?" Stein, another of his brothers, asked.

"Th-they...they called him...they…" the sailor shook his head.

Hans tightened his grip on his wrist behind his back, grinding his teeth to keep his expression neutral. Even his best efforts couldn't suppress the shudder he felt in his chest when the sailor finally answered.

"Th-the S-Sun King."

**XXXX**

"You left rather quickly, little brother," A voice called, bringing Hans' rapid retreat to a halt.

The prince closed his eyes and released the breath he'd been holding. His hand slid to his side, resting on his sword as he turned to face his brother. While he truly, deeply hated all his brothers, his animosity was far more restrained toward his seventh brother, Mathias.

The Seventh Prince wasn't the most impressive to look at, only standing a few inches taller than Hans himself, with unkempt dark hair, his lanky frame always wrapped in a great fur cloak, regardless of the season. The most striking thing about him, beyond his choice in wardrobe, was a scar that ran from his right ear, down to the corner of his mouth: a "training accident", as the story went. The scar made it always seem as though he were smirking, though Hans was certain his brother had never once smiled.

"I wasn't wanted there to begin with, I didn't see a reason to stay and ridicule that man any further," Hans explained, keeping a watchful eye on Mathias as his brother stalked toward him, each step slow and calculated, even in what should have been a simple conversation between siblings.

Mathias paused beside Hans, glancing at him from the corner of his eye, "You believe him then? His story about this Sun King?"

Mathias had not been one of the brothers laughing at the sailor's expense. In fact, throughout the entire meeting, his expression hadn't changed once. He'd been the picture of stillness, save for his eyes drifting from the man telling the story to where his youngest brother stood, hanging on every word that was said.

"I see no reason to doubt him," Hans began, keeping his voice low and keeping Mathias in sight as the pair resumed their trek through the castle halls, "One look at him would convince anyone that he encountered something unnatural."

"Unnatural, indeed...what's to say, though, that he didn't manufacture his story to rid himself of the failure of defeat?" Mathias inquired, stroking his chin with one gloved hand, "Weakness is not tolerated by the Salt King. Perhaps, he believed it better to maim himself and conjure a tale about something supernatural than to admit his strength lacking?"

Hans scoffed, a mirthless smile spreading across his lips, "How can you say any man who did that to himself was weak? I doubt the Pride of the Isles could have stomached that pain, regardless of how drunk he was," Hans pointed out. His smile vanished as the pair came to a halt, his brother glancing over his shoulder.

"A fair point...and one that aligns with the research I've done into Sir Merik. He was, himself, a proud Islander. Given the chance, I'm sure he'd have rather died with his crew then be forced to return in such a ghoulish state," Mathias finally turned to face Hans completely, gesturing toward the door the pair had stopped beside. Though his expression remained impassive as ever, there was an almost playful gleam in his eyes as he addressed the youngest prince.

"Ah, but, that's enough speculation for today. Don't let me keep you from penning yet another letter that will go unread by the Queen of Arendelle."

Hans narrowed his eyes, grinding his teeth to keep the scowl from his face as he approached the door to his new room. It was only slightly larger than a closet, kept far away from the rest of the royal quarters. It had become his sole refuge, and his prison, after returning to the Isles from his failed coup.

He paused, hand tightly gripping the doorknob.

"How did you know?" He asked, cursing himself for playing into Mathias' game.

"Do you truly believe that either of them will ever forgive you?" His brother asked, ignoring his question entirely.

Hans' hand slid to his sword, his scowl finally appearing when he felt his brother draw closer. His eyes fell on the Seventh Prince's hand, resting against his door as he leaned in close to the Wastral Prince's ear.

"Actually…" Mathias hissed, "We both know the answer to that question, don't we, little brother? They will never," the prince emphasized the word "never", practically growling it, "forgive what you've done. A better question is…" The harshness left his voice, replaced by something that could have almost passed as concern, "Why do you pretend to care?"

The corner of Han's mouth twitched as his grip on the door became painful.

"Why do you insist on sulking these halls, staying up late into the night, penning the most perfect, most beautiful admission of guilt and remorse...seeking forgiveness that you will never receive to relieve the guilt that you do not feel?"

He had asked himself that same question countless times. With every letter he finished, with every courier he sent, he asked himself again. And, no sooner had he asked the question, he would find himself back on that frozen fjord, watching as the princess turned to ice, repelling the blow that would have felled her sister. And then, he saw Arendelle restored to its former beauty, that same princess now flesh and blood, in the embrace of the sister whose love had saved her.

If their love could thaw a frozen heart, if it could bring back the dead...then surely, it must be real.

"I don't know," Hans replied, his honest answer little more than a breath. He paused when he felt Mathias' hand on his shoulder. He turned and Mathias stepped back, withdrawing a rolled parchment from his cloak and holding it out to him. It was sealed with the symbol of Huginn and Muninn, Odin's ravens and Mathias' personal seal.

"Give this to Jormund when you go to send your next letter. My courier will get it to Arendelle quicker and safer...if this Sun King is real, then the Snow Queen may be our only salvation." As soon as Hans took the parchment, Mathias spun on his heel and marched off into the darkness without another word.

Hans considered the parchment in his hand, his mouth twitching again. Clutching it tight, he opened his door and disappeared into the dark.


	4. Just Outside Your Door

**Frozen**

_**A Melody from the Past**_

**Chapter 4: Just Outside Your Door**

The hooded figure stalked toward the cowering family, their steps silent; even the twigs and leaves below their feet refused to crack or crinkle as they walked over them. A deathly stillness had fallen over the Elderwoods as they drew upon their latest victims.

"Please...please you can have anything you want. Anything at all! T-take my money, take my wife's jewelry, please...please just let them be, please!" The father begged, trying to put himself between the hooded figure and his family. His son wailed and sobbed as his mother struggled to shush him, though she found it hard to control her own tears.

The mother screamed as a sudden rustle in the bushes broke the silence, heavy footsteps charging toward their attacker. There was a rush of wind, then a heavy _thunk_, followed by a strained gurgle and the crashing of armor against the dirt road.

The patrolman's eyes rolled back in his head as the last bit of life left him, a black arrow pierced through his throat.

"This is all I have! Y-you can have it all, I swear it! I swear, we won't tell anyone! We won't! J-just...just please, let them go!" The father tried again, his voice cracking when the figure turned back to him, their eyes gleaming an unnatural shade of red beneath their dark hood. He couldn't stop his own sobs as the figure slowly reached for their quiver, slender fingers wrapping around yet another arrow with painful slowness.

Their shadowed visage devoid of any emotion, the figure nocked the arrow and slowly drew it back, its obsidian tip pointed right between the father's eyes.

"Wh-what do you want?! What did we do!?" The mother cried, wrapping her son in her arms as tightly as she could, hoping beyond hope that she may spare him.

Without a word, the figure released the arrow, already reaching for another as the father fell to the ground dead.

Nearby, lying prone near the fallen cart, one of the patrolmen cracked one eye open, his lungs screaming as he took in the faintest breath he could muster. Coins of bronze, silver, and gold were strewn across the forest floor, a box of jewelry tossed aside carelessly. The packages they'd been delivering were left behind with the same indifference. A chill ran through him, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the figure strike down the mother with the same thoughtlessness that had befallen the others. Whatever it was they had been carrying with them, it was clear that the attacker was interested in stealing only one thing that night.

He swallowed a groan, struggling to remain still. The arrow in his side throbbed, sending waves of unnatural pain through him. The wound refused to stop bleeding, but he didn't dare move to staunch the flow. Any movement would be his last.

The little boy screamed as the figure pushed him into the ground with their heel, pinning him as they drew back another arrow. Another heavy _thunk_ and the child's cries fell silent.

The hooded figure waited for a moment, watching the last of the boy's life leave him, before their head rolled back, eyes staring up at the moonless night sky. Their hood fell off, revealing shoulder-length black hair, a single braid hanging beside their right eye. A twig snapped and drew the figure's attention, spinning with unnatural speed, an arrow at the ready, pointed right at the guard playing dead near the cart.

The guard continued to hold his breath, he figured it must have been nearly three minutes already, fighting to keep a shiver from his body. From where he lay, his face was obscured by one of the cart's wheels, allowing him the faintest view of the figure's face.

It was a woman; a girl, actually, not even as old as Princess Anna. Her red eyes didn't blink as she continued to train her arrow on him. Though his eyes were good as they'd ever been, the details of her appearance were somehow obscured, as though his eyes couldn't focus on any of them, save for her eyes.

Eventually, she lowered her arrow, returning it to her quiver. Slipping her hood back on, she turned and began to walk into the woods. With each step, her body began to melt into black smoke, until it was impossible to tell where the smoke ended and the girl began. In just a few more steps, she was gone, vanished into the darkness.

No, the guard thought as he finally allowed himself to catch his breath, still fighting to stay as quiet as he could manage. She hadn't vanished into the darkness, she had become the darkness.

"Have...to...get back…" he muttered, speaking only to free himself from that deathly silence that seemed as though it would never end. He tried to rise to his feet, but a surge of pain shot from his side, causing him to fall back to the ground. He ground his teeth, desperate to keep his cries a secret. If she returned, he'd have no second chance.

He began to crawl, digging his fingers into the cold dirt. He couldn't feel anything below his waist, but he couldn't stop to consider what that may mean for his future. He couldn't let anything stop him. He couldn't fail in this final task. He had to warn Captain Thorold.

He had to warn Queen Elsa.

**XXXX**

"You really have to go now?" Anna asked for the fourth time in the last ten minutes. She sighed, finally defeated, when Kristoff nodded yet again.

"If I don't go now, I won't be able to make it back before dark," He explained, grunting as he tightened the ropes securing the crates to his sled. Along with an ice delivery, he'd been asked to bring a shipment of supplies to the nearby village that would have otherwise taken a few more days to be delivered with the recent...disturbances along the way. Kristoff sighed, a shudder running down his spine. He hid it by crossing his arms and going over his checklist one last time.

"If you're really that bored, you could come with me," he pointed out, finally satisfied that he wasn't forgetting anything.

Anna frowned, "I can't tonight. I have a...um…" she trailed off, words getting caught in her throat as she nearly admitted she had combat training that evening. As much as she'd have loved to see Kristoff's expression when he found out she was learning to protect herself, she'd rather not have him worrying about her. Realizing that she hadn't said anything in quite some time, she quickly spoke up, "a prior arrangement that I must attend to." She blushed when Kristoff chuckled, a playful glare on her face.

"Sounds important," he simply said, ensuring Sven's harness was secured before climbing into his sled. Kristoff suddenly perked up, slapping his forehead, "That's right! You're having dinner with Elsa tonight, right? She mentioned that when we spoke earlier."

Just hearing her sister's name caused Anna's heart to skip a beat and brought a smile to her lips. It had been three days since the sisters had last seen one another for more than a simple passing in the hall. Whatever else she'd been worried about melted away as she nodded.

"Yeah...yeah, we haven't had dinner together in a while. I wouldn't miss it for the world," she admitted. She looked up, her smile becoming a grin when Kristoff reached over and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"So that settles it then. I'll head out and I'll see you tomorrow. If you don't have any other 'prior arrangements' you can help me fix Sven's shoes," the reindeer in question perked up with a cheerful snort.

"That sounds like a good plan, right big guy?" Anna cooed as she scratched Sven's chin, giggling when the reindeer stomped his hoof like a dog kicking his leg.

Anna said her last goodbyes and waved as the pair made their way out of the castle and into the city. She slowly lowered her hand, loneliness settling in as she realized she still had several hours before she'd get to see her sister, and even longer still before she'd be able to burn off her frustration training with Captain Haile. With one last sigh, she returned to the castle, going wherever it was her feet carried her as she let herself get lost in thought again.

She considered wandering out to the training grounds to watch the recruits train. In part, she wanted to see the kind of progress the boys had made. Was Leif still leaving his right side open? Did Iver still get winded after blocking a few hits? But, if she were being honest, she really wanted to compare her own progress to theirs. If she weren't a princess, if she were just another recruit, would she show promise, or would she be just another kid that drove Captain Haile to drink?

She still hadn't managed to beat the old man and she doubted that day would ever come, let alone in a few short weeks. But, she was certain she was getting better. Their last session, two nights ago, had lasted longer than any prior. She was still sore from head to toe when she hobbled back to her room, and had spent a good share of her time on the ground, but she had managed to sneak a few blows passed the Captain's defense. And, once or twice, she'd managed to avoid that damned leg sweep he was so fond off. The mere thought of that accursed trick of his caused her ankle to begin to throb.

As she continued walking, Anna focused her attention on her feet. The Captain had told her, more than once, that she had strength to spare, and speed to match, but all the gracefulness of a newborn foal. If she could learn to keep track of her feet, then she'd be "on her way to becoming a truly fearsome foe," as he had put it. If she could just-

Anna shrieked as she suddenly felt herself collide with someone else, an arm wrapping around her waist to keep her from tumbling to the ground.

"Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry! That is completely my fault, I was just...j…" Anna trailed off as she looked up at the person she'd run into.

She was an older woman, her smoke-gray hair cut in a short bob, her bangs framing her pale gray eyes, eyes that Anna had never once seen blink. There was a small smile on her lips, but that smile had never been enough to assuage the fear Anna always felt around the woman, though she'd never once given the Princess reason to fear her.

Maybe it was the way the other servants never addressed her. They certainly, by now, recognized her, as she was the only lady who came and went from the castle who never wore a dress or skirt, and who stood taller than most of the men. Or, perhaps it was the fact that she was the one person around whom Captain Haile was always certain to mind his manners. Whatever it was about her, she seemed to command respect and fear from everyone Anna had ever known: servants, princesses, queens and kings.

"L-Lady Gudrun, I...I am s-so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. I am so sorry," Anna stammered, quickly bowing her head. She swallowed nervously when the older woman chuckled softly, lifting the princess' chin with a finger.

"Your Highness, I am but your humble servant. You've no need to apologize," Lady Gudrun's voice wasn't unpleasant. She withdrew her hand, her smile growing ever so slightly as she continued, "I should be the one to apologize."

"No, no! It was my fault, completely," Anna apologized once again. She felt her cheeks heat up when Lady Gudrun chuckled again.

"You're too quick to blame yourself, Your Highness. A Princess should command respect, not request it. Ah, but, I wouldn't have you change a bit, Your Highness." Lady Gudrun assured her, "What is it that troubles Your Highness? If I may be so bold, it is quite unlike you to be without a smile on your face."

Crap, Anna thought as she pursed her lips and struggled to think of a good excuse. That was the reason she never felt at ease around Lady Gudrun. The woman was impossible to hide anything from, almost as if she could read minds. For a moment, Anna considered that may very well be the case, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she began to panic that it was true and wondered if Lady Gudrun were reading her mind right then.

"I was just...thinking about...dancing…" Anna explained, her answer so uncertain that she couldn't even make herself pretend it was true. Much to her surprise, Lady Gudrun's expression brightened, a laugh escaping her.

"Is that so? If it pleases Your Highness, might I be of assistance then?" Lady Gudrun gave another bow, "You may not believe it, but, I am something of a dance instructor. If there is someone Your Highness wishes to impress, I would be honored to take you under my wing, so to speak." The excitement in Lady Gudrun's voice was quite unlike her usual demeanor. It was almost intoxicating.

Anna had to bite her lip to keep herself from agreeing on the spot.

"I app-preciate the offer," Anna flinched as she stammered. Clearing her throat, she continued, "I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn't want to keep you from your duties. It's just a silly hobby of mine, that's all." Whatever Lady Gudrun's duties were, Anna thought. No one had ever told her, and she'd never dared to ask.

Lady Gudrun stood up straight, one hand sliding into her pocket as her smile softened. She still hadn't blinked, Anna noted.

"Very well, my offer stands, though, Your Highness. Should you find yourself in need of my services, you need only ask." Lady Gudrun turned toward the staircase, her sudden interest drawing Anna's attention.

Vera was coming down the stairs, her head tilted and one eyebrow raised. She paused as the bottom of the stairs with a curtsey.

"Your Highness. Lady Gudrun. I hope this day finds you well."

Anna turned back to Lady Gudrun, noticing that her expression had changed. Her eyes seemed sharper and her smile...dangerous?

"Ah, Vera, I have need of you," Lady Gudrun turned to Anna. Her expression had changed back, once again wearing a veil of welcoming and warmth, "Your Highness, if you've no need of your handmaiden, might I borrow her for a moment?"

What could Lady Gudrun want with Vera, Anna wondered? She quickly nodded, keeping her thoughts from drifting down that rabbit hole.

"Of course, Lady Gudrun." She said simply, to keep herself from inquiring further. The two said their goodbyes to the Princess and disappeared down another hall.

Alone again, Anna thought. Alone and without a purpose, she resumed her aimless wandering, making sure to keep her head held high to avoid any other accidents. Her journey eventually led her to the painting room, where she'd spent countless lonely hours as a child and teenager. She was drawn to the portrait of Joan of Arc and laid down on the couch beneath the painting.

"Still hanging in there, Joan?" Anna murmured, her eyes suddenly heavy as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. Muffling a yawn behind her hand, she decided to take a moment to rest her eyes. As her eyes closed, she saw herself, dressed in Joan's suit of armor, sword held high, finally standing victorious over Captain Haile.

Though he had fallen, the Captain was laughing. Kristoff was watching in awe, a grin on his face, his arm slung around Sven's neck. And, as Anna turned, she saw Elsa, eyes wide with surprise. Slowly, that surprise faded and a proud smile spread across her lips. As the two came together, Elsa's arms slipping around Anna's neck, Anna's arms wrapping around Elsa's waist, she could faintly hear a familiar song.

It was their song, she thought, though she couldn't quite remember how it went.

**XXXX**

The forest had grown colder with every step the redhead took. Glancing back over her shoulder, she could see evergreens, flowers and sunshine. As she turned toward her destination, she couldn't help but smile, seeing the trees covered in snow, icicles hanging from their branches. Eyes wide with wonder, she looked up at the sky, heavy clouds were blocking out the sun, a gentle snowfall raining down in the middle of summer. The stories hard to be true, she thought as she picked up her pace, jogging toward the heart of the storm.

Her family had warned her against journeying too deep into the woods. Telling stories of a snow witch who froze the forest and ate up little girls who dared to wander into its domain. They've been telling her to stay far away since she was five, but, having just celebrated her eighth birthday, she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.

She gasped as she wandered into a clearing. There was a lake, completely frozen over, and a tiny shack that looked oh so warm and cozy covered in a sheet of snow. Nodding and grinning, she started toward the shack, the crunch of the snow beneath her boots the only sound that disturbed the silence.

There was an empty flower bed in front of the cabin. Empty, save for two flowers made entirely from ice, their designs simple, but beautiful in their simplicity. She leaned in to smell the flowers, slightly disappointed but not surprised to learn they were only ice. A snow witch wouldn't have made such pretty flowers, would she? And if she did...then surely she couldn't be horrible.

The redhead turned to the door of the cabin, debating on whether or not to knock. Was the Snow Witch lonely? If no one ever came to visit, she might like the company. Her hand paused, knuckles inches from the door, when she heard a sound coming from behind the cabin. She scurried to the side of the shack, peering around the corner. Her green eyes widened, an excited gasp escaping her lips.

It was a little girl, a few years older than herself, with long, snow-white hair. She was sitting on a stump, her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them. She had one hand open in front of her, glittering snowflakes rising up from her palm and swirling around her. Despite the cold, she was barefoot, wearing only a crystal blue dress that sparkled like ice.

She wasn't a Snow Witch, the redhead thought, her smile becoming a grin. She was a Snow Fairy.

"Hey!" she called out.

The Snow Fairy shrieked, snapping her hand shut, falling off her stump as she backed away from the newcomer. The weather suddenly turned violent, the clouds darkening and the wind becoming fierce. In seconds, the peaceful clearing was consumed in a growing blizzard.

Through the blizzard, the redhead could see the Snow Fairy's eyes, a pretty shade of blue that seemed to glow as the storm around them grew heavier. She covered her face and continued toward the fallen Snow Fairy, calling out to be heard over the storm.

"Hi there! I'm Anna-" The wind suddenly howled, drowning out her cry. The redhead cleared her throat and called out again, "What's your name?" Though she was starting to shiver, she kept the smile on her face, and continued to approach the other girl.

The Snow Fairy must have been bashful, the redhead thought, as she looked away and pursed her lips. The storm continued to get heavier, the snow becoming blinding. To the Snow Fairy's surprise, the newcomer knelt down beside her. She was shivering and her lips were starting to turn blue...but she was still smiling.

Something about her smile caused the Snow Fairy to blush. Biting her lip, she looked down at her hands. Taking a shaky breath, she held them out and slowly let the breath go. The storm began to settle, until the clearing returned to the gentle snowfall from before.

"W-w-w-wow!" The redhead shivered, looking around and giggling, "You r-r-r-really ca-can make it snow!" She turned back to the Snow Fairy, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. The white-haired girl's hand was nothing like the cold weather it had summoned. It was soft and warm, the redhead thought as she helped her to her feet.

"...Are you cold?" The Snow Fairy asked, her voice low and unsteady, as if she weren't used to talking to anyone.

The redhead giggled, "Hehe, y-yeah, m-maybe a l-l-little bit," she admitted. She beamed when the Snow Fairy's grip on her hand tightened.

"...W...why are you here?" she asked simply.

"N-no one ever comes out here, so I w-wanted to meet you and see if you were r-r-real. I th-thought you might be lonely," the redhead explained, still shivering.

The Snow Fairy pursed her lips again. Her blue eyes glanced toward the cabin, then back to the redhead.

"Do you...want to go inside?" she asked, pointing toward the cabin. Her lips trembled, fighting back a smile when the redhead nodded eagerly. Glancing down at her feet, she nodded and gave her hand a tug, leading her toward the house. While the two walked, the redhead began to sing, her song finally drawing out the Snow Fairy's smile.

"...My name is El…sa..."

**XXXX**

Elsa sighed as she approached the door to her room. Dinner couldn't come quick enough. She hadn't seen Anna in days, and that separation was gnawing away at her composure. During a particularly harsh confrontation with a visiting dignitary from Westmarch, she'd nearly frozen the room, only gaining control of herself when the dignitary's assistant had commented on the icicles forming on the Queen's throne. And that had only been one instance of her control slipping. Had her private meeting with Lord Eberlin gone even a minute longer, she may have done something that she'd regret.

Slipping into her room, she pushed the door closed and leaned against it. She considered locking her door and taking a nap, but she feared if she did, she might sleep through dinner and that was one meeting to which she couldn't bear being late or absent.

As she approached her bed, Elsa's eyes suddenly widened, panic settling in as she realized she wasn't alone. Her power surged up around her and into the tips of her fingers, an icicle forming in her hand, quickly flung to the corner of the room. She stared, breathing in shaky gasps, her fingers trembling as the intruder lowered her fan, the icicle caught in the middle of it, held just inches from the intruder's face.

"Had I been an assassin, you'd likely be dead already, Your Majesty," a familiar voice spoke up.

Elsa sighed and relaxed, hand slipping to her forehead. She trembled as she tried to calm her nerves, and to keep the snowflakes floating around her under control.

"Lady Gudrun…" Elsa greeted the intruder, taking a deep breath and finally getting control of her voice, "To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked, looking up with a tired smile.

Lady Gudrun offered her Queen a discreet smile as she slid to her feet, returning her now ruined fan to her pocket. In a rather bold display, she reached out, taking the Queen's hand and looking it over.

"Your control is getting better, had I tried that stunt a fortnight ago, I'd have likely found myself quite dead," She gave Elsa's hand a squeeze and then released it, folding her hands behind her back, "I truly must apologize, Your Majesty. My intent was not to startle you, but to check on your progress. I should have known this would not be the best day to take such...invasive measures."

Elsa rubbed her hand, her breathing finally settled, "No, Lady Gudrun, you're doing only as I've asked you. I should...I should have noticed you." Along with seeking out Captain Haile's assistance in learning the art of combat, Elsa had also sought Lady Gudrun's tutelage in refining the more precise nature of her powers. Elsa shook her head, "You're right...I'd have been long dead if it were anyone else."

Lady Gudrun tilted Elsa's chin up with a finger, cocking her head as she looked in the Queen's eyes, "Close your eyes, I want to see you dance." It wasn't a command, she'd never be so bold as to give an order to her Queen. And, yet, it was no request, either.

Though she was tired, and part of her wished for nothing more than to be alone, she nodded and stood up straight. She took a single cleansing breath, hands following the movement of her chest. She then lowered her hands, slowly releasing that breath. Keeping her eyes closed, she began to sway, her magic coursing through her, following her flowing movements, her feet moving to the rhythm set by her breathing.

"Good...yes, very good. Don't force your next step, let your body move you. Ah, don't try to predict what is around you." Lady Gudrun corrected her as Elsa became aware of the lady's presence moving, "You are one with the wind, let the wind feel the room for you…"

When they first began the lady's abnormal training, Elsa had felt foolish and self-conscious. Dancing had always been one of Anna's talents, not hers. Their first few meetings had only further convinced the Queen that she had made a mistake. But, somewhere along the line, the pieces had seemed to come together. She felt more confident in her steps, more at peace as she let her body move her, as Lady Gudrun said.

It wasn't a dance to impress or to flaunt. It was something else, something deeply personal. At times, her powers could feel like a tool she could wield, or a muscle she must flex. But, when she danced, her magic felt as it should: not a weapon or a muscle, but an extension of her soul. It wasn't a force to be contained, it simply was.

Elsa's dance faltered slightly as she sensed a movement near her side. Keeping her eyes closed, refusing to let it distract her, she reached out not with her hands, but with her soul. The air near her side solidified, catching the blade in its frozen grasp. No sooner had it stopped the attack, it vanished.

"My girls have yet to discover the source of your bandit problem, Your Majesty," Lady Gudrun's voice was suddenly on her other side, "However, one of my girls in Greenriver has told me about a bear that has been terrorizing Rosewood. Not any normal bear, mind you," Another flash of steel near Elsa's thigh was blocked by another sudden freeze, "They say it's a great, terrible beast, one that kills for sport."

"Rosewood is just beyond Greenriver. Do you think it a coincidence?" Elsa wondered as she rose up on her toes, another blade blocked just inches from her throat.

"I don't believe in coincidences, Your Majesty. I've sent one of my girls to Rosewood to do more research, and another to the Southern Isles."

Elsa finally allowed herself to pause, opening her eyes and turning to Lady Gudrun, who was once again seated in the corner of the room.

"The Southern Isles? May I ask why?" she asked, unable to keep the scorn from her voice. Her expression darkened when Lady Gudrun withdrew a letter from her jacket. Even at a distance, she'd become all too familiar with the seal of the Southern Isles.

"This is the sixth letter, addressed directly to you, that we have received from the Southern Isles in just a month." Lady Gudrun rose to her feet and presented the letter to the Queen, her smile becoming a bit sharper when the Queen snatched it from her and glared at it, "I've not opened it, just as I've not opened the others, but, unlike the others, I would advise you to open this one and see what the Wastral Prince has to say for himself."

"The Wastral Prince?" Elsa asked, still glaring at the letter.

"My apologies, that would be Prince Hans of the Southern Isles." Lady Gudrun clarified.

"What makes this letter any different?" Elsa asked. She'd not known that Hans possessed such a scornful title, but, she couldn't bring herself to feel pity for the man. Merely thinking his name was enough to endanger the calm that her dance had brought her.

"This letter arrived through...unorthodox means. The courier who brought the letter managed to infiltrate the castle without detection and sought me out personally to ensure that it reach your hands alone."

That explanation only further confused Elsa. Lady Gudrun's duties and title were not public record by any means. She doubted even Anna knew what it was the lady was responsible for. That a courier from a hostile nation would not only know her name, but also know that she could get the letter to the Queen was concerning to say the least.

"Should I be concerned for my safety and that of my sister?" Elsa asked after a moment of consideration. She relaxed considerably when Lady Gudrun smiled and shook her head.

"No, Your Majesty. While it was quite unexpected...I have long known this particular courier, and I know the man to which he answers. I have assured him that any further trespass into our castle will be dealt with accordingly and he has assured me that this will be the last such letter he delivers." The smile faded from Lady Gudrun's face and her gaze grew dangerous, "I would still advise you read that letter. My girls will get to the bottom of this, but, if the Wastral Prince is so desperate to reach you, it may be in Arendelle's best interest to hear what it is he has to say."

**XXXX**

When Anna didn't arrive for dinner, Elsa became worried. She wandered the castle halls, panic spreading as her mind raced through endless possibilities of what could have gone wrong. She had Hans' latest letter with her, still unopened, as she desperately searched for her sister. All of her fears vanished when she entered the painting room and found Anna lying on the couch beneath the Joan of Arc painting, fast asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Elsa shook her head and smiled, gently sitting beside her sister, careful to not disturb her.

"There you are...you had me so worried," she whispered as she ran her hand through Anna's hair. Her fingers trembled as she continued to watch her sleep, entranced by every rise and fall of her side with every breath she took. She was breathing. She was safe. She was alive. She wasn't sure why those thoughts flashed in her mind, but as she repeated them, they kept her panic from returning, though they couldn't stop her thoughts from growing dark.

Bandits in the Elderwoods, a bear in Rosewood, and now another letter from the treacherous prince who had nearly succeeded in killing both sisters. When she'd released the spell of eternal winter on Arendelle, Elsa had been filled with hope that things had changed, that they were going to get better, that the sisters would finally be able to move on and find a way to be happy, after so many lonely years of suffering. Yet, with every passing day, she felt that hope dwindling.

Something had changed, that much Elsa was certain. But, now she feared that the change hadn't been for the better.

"Elsa..?" Anna yawned as she began to sit up. Stretching and groaning she looked around in confusion.

"Hey sleepyhead, did you have a nice nap?" Elsa asked with a grin, her morbid thoughts from before long forgotten. She giggled when Anna glanced toward the window and groaned falling back on the couch when she saw the sun setting outside.

"Did I sleep through dinner?" Anna asked sheepishly. She sighed with relief when Elsa shook her head.

"I'd only just sat down before coming to look for you. If we hurry, we can get back before it gets too cold," Elsa rose to her feet, setting the letter down as she reached a hand out to help Anna up. Her sister accepted her help, but also picked up the letter, staring at it curiously. Elsa sighed, "Another letter from that man, I haven't decided what to do with it yet," she explained.

"That man...you mean Hans? Wait, another letter?" Instead of accepting Elsa's help to her feet, Anna instead tugged her sister down to the couch beside her, "You've gotten other letters from Hans?"

"I haven't opened any of them," Elsa assured her, though she wasn't quite sure why she felt it necessary to insist, "I'm not interested in what he has to say." The Queen smiled again when the Princess gave a loud yawn, quickly smothering it in her hand.

"How many letters has he sent?" Anna asked, starting to pick at the seal on the letter.

Realizing there was no turning her sister's attention away from the elephant in the room, Elsa held her hand out to Anna, her magic forming an icy letter opener.

"This would be number six. So far I've used them for kindling, I had no intention of this one being any different," she joked, though her tone betrayed her honesty. She frowned when Anna took the letter opener, "Anna...I don't trust anything he has to say. That man was able to fool us all into thinking he meant well. He was able to convince you to run away with him after an evening alone together. He...he looked me in the eye and told me that I had killed you, and I believed every word he said. That's why I've refused to read any of his letters."

Anna paused, staring at the letter, slowly nodding as Elsa's explanation continued.

"You're right," she bit her lip and nodded, this one more resolute, "You're right, if we read this...we're just," She paused to swallow the lump forming in her throat, "we're just going to read exactly what he wants us to read. Think exactly what he wants us to think. Then, he'll get in our heads and…" Anna narrowed her eyes, her grip on the letter tightening.

Elsa gently reached out, taking the letter, then slipping Anna's hand into her own and holding it tightly.

"He's gone," she assured her, wrapping her arms around her sister as Anna leaned into her embrace. That had more than made up Elsa's mind. She wouldn't play into the "Wastral Prince's" games any more. She wouldn't give him the chance to hurt Anna again. She tightened her hold and kissed her head, "He's gone," she whispered again.

The moment was ruined by the sound of Anna's stomach growling. At first, Anna simply giggled, and then Elsa joined in. And, just like that, the two were laughing, the letter left behind on the couch and forgotten.

"Let's go eat," Elsa insisted, giving Anna's shoulder a squeeze, "I've got so much to tell you after the week I've had." The exasperation in her voice earned her another laugh from her sister, creating butterflies in her stomach. As the pair climbed to their feet, they were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the room.

Elsa's hold on Anna tightened once more as Captain Thorold entered the room out of breath. He quickly bowed, but it was a sloppy bow, lacking any of the Captain's usual polish.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, forgive this interruption, but I…" Captain Thorold cleared his throat and stood up straight, struggling to regain his composure.

"Breathe, Captain," Elsa commanded.

The Captain nodded and took a moment to collect himself before continuing.

"One of my patrolmen just returned." The Captain glanced at the Princess, before focusing his attention on the Queen, "We need to speak, Your Majesty."


	5. The First Nightmare

**Frozen**

_**A Melody from the Past**_

**Chapter 5: The First Nightmare**

"Go, Sven, go!" Kristoff shouted, cracking the reins again as the sled took a sharp turn, nearly toppling over. The Royal Ice Master grimaced as the pain in his arm resurged, his grip on the reins becoming painful as his hand clenched against his will. He glanced back, eyes pausing for a moment on the black-feathered arrow embedded in his shoulder, before scanning trees rushing passed them. He shuddered and faced forward again, ducking his head as another arrow whistled passed him, thankfully missing Sven as well.

He'd heard the rumors, he knew the dangers, but even then, he hadn't been prepared when the phantom appeared. Another arrow whistled through the air, piercing the sled behind him. Just hearing that heavy _thunk_ caused the pain in his shoulder to flare up and his hand to clench uncontrollably once more.

"Oh shit…" Kristoff muttered, time seeming to slow down around him when he felt another weight land in the sled behind him. Steeling his nerves and reaching for the pickaxe he always kept stashed in his sled, he spun around, taking a swing at the attacker.

The hooded figure moved backwards, the sharp tip of the pickaxe harmlessly passing through the smokey flaps of her cloak. Her red eyes were devoid of mercy as she finished pulling back the arrow she'd readied. The obsidian tip was aimed right between his eyes.

As the sled went over a hill, becoming airborne, time slowed down further. The phantom narrowed her eyes and released the arrow. At the same time, Kristoff felt another weight hit the sled and turned, just in time to a see a figure, their face obscured behind a solid white mask with only two slits for eyes, leap from the edge of the sled. There was a flash of silver as the newcomer unsheathed a dagger, the blade colliding with the obsidian tip and sending the arrow flying off course.

The sled crashed into the ground and time resumed its regular flow, Kristoff grunting in pain, snatching the reins and trying to steady the sled. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of a struggle between the phantom and the newcomer.

The masked figure unsheathed a second dagger, rushing at the phantom, blades slicing through the air with expert precision. The newcomer's attack was blocked by another arrow, the phantom's bow vanishing as she wielded two arrows to match the newcomer's daggers.

Though they had little room to maneuver in the sled, Kristoff's masked protector proved nearly capable of matching the phantom's inhuman movements. Moving as though performing some kind of deadly dance, the pair clashed and tumbled around the sled. Though the masked protector was clearly skilled, none of their blows ever met their mark, sailing harmlessly through the phantom's smoke-like form.

Kristoff glanced back over his shoulder when he felt another heavy thump against the sled. The phantom had knocked the newcomer to the ground and had her arrows raised up, ready to bring them down. His eyes widened as the newcomer curled their legs in, then thrust them out, an attack finally landing and sending the phantom flying from the sled. The newcomer leaped back to their feet, placing one hand on Kristoff's shoulder as the other snapped the end of the arrow embedded in his shoulder off.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Sir Bjorgman," a dry, girl's voice hissed.

Kristoff faced forward, but now his pain was overwhelmed by confusion.

"Ve-"

"Not now, focus on getting us out of here alive!" The masked girl hissed. She turned, muttering a curse under her breath as she saw the shadow shoot into the trees, flying from branch to branch in hot pursuit of the sled. Despite the darkness, her blood red eyes were unmistakable. The masked girl readied her daggers, trying to keep her vision focused on the approaching phantom.

Neither of the pair was prepared for an unearthly screech that seemed to shake the entire forest. Nor were they prepared for the spray of obsidian arrows erupting from the darkness.

"Dammit," the masked girl hissed, eyes scanning back and forth, trying to keep track of the phantom. Her arms moved on their own, daggers slicing through the air to repel the oncoming slew of arrows. She was quick, but the arrows seemed to come from the darkness itself, rather than from a single point. While she was able to defend herself for some time, it wasn't long before one of the arrows hit its mark, piercing her thigh. The masked girl hissed, her leg nearly giving out from the unearthly pain and near instant paralysis that seemed to spread from the wound.

Forcing herself to stay standing, she continued deflecting arrows, but all it had taken was a single blow to rob her of most of her mobility. She cursed again as she heard Kristoff cry out, another arrow piercing his back. Another arrow hit the masked girl's arm, causing her to drop one of her daggers. The storm ceased when the phantom landed on the edge of the sled.

Her hood had fallen off, revealing her youthful face. Her eyes had changed, no longer a simple shade of red, but now consumed by bloody light. Black smoke was rising up from her, like the dark wings of some unheavenly angel. She opened her mouth and screamed, echoing the unearthly screech from before.

"Snow...Queen…" The phantom rasped, the first words anyone had ever heard from her. The moment the words left her mouth, she flung herself at the masked girl. Her eyes widened, her rage interrupted by confusion as her victim lurched to the side, the phantom's claws slicing through her cheek, barely missing their mark, before she was flung to the side, the masked girl's dagger finally meeting solid flesh.

"Faster! Go, go, go!" the masked girl cried as she tossed the phantom from the sled once more.

"K-keep going b-buddy…" Kristoff gasped, his vision blurring as the pain in his back began to spread. He couldn't feel his fingertips, and he was quickly losing the strength to stay upright, "D-don't stop...unt-until we r-reach the castle," he called, before the last of his stamina vanished, his hands slipping from the reins.

As Kristoff blacked out, the masked girl leaped over into the front seat of the sled, snatching the reins and cracking them once. Her right arm was hanging uselessly at her side, and she'd long since lost feeling in her right leg. She took in a shaky breath as the treetops vanished, revealing the starry sky. She peered back over her shoulder to the entrance of the Elderwoods.

Despite the distance, she could feel that the phantom was gazing right into her eyes. Where before she'd never left the edge of the forest, the shadows around her seemed to grow as she continued her pursuit, making her way toward Arendelle.

**XXXX**

Captain Thorold hurried to the castle gates, trying to maintain his composure with a light jog. However, the moment he saw the sled come into view, he silently cursed as he broke into a sprint, shoving through the guards who had gathered to help.

"Master Bjorgman? What...Miss Vera?" He muttered. His eyes were immediately drawn to the arrow embedded in the handmaid's arm, then to the collapsed Royal Ice Master. He flinched, kneeling down beside the sled and trying to help Kristoff sit up. The poor man was out cold, his breaths coming in short, shallow gasps. The Captain noted the number of arrows in his back and couldn't help but be amazed by his resilience.

"Get the physician, now! He's gravely injured, go!" The Captain barked, his loss of composure startling even his most tenured men. With a salute, two hurried away, while another went to the other side of the sled to aid Vera.

The handmaiden shoved him away, hissing and struggling to breathe as she rose from the sled. Her right leg gave out and, this time, she accepted the guard's aid.

"Queen...Queen Elsa is in danger...everyone is in danger…" she mumbled, struggling toward the Captain, "Alarm...sound...sound the alarm...everyone is in danger…" she managed before she went limp in the guard's arms.

Without missing a beat, Captain Thorold lugged Kristoff out of the sled and called out to the nearby watchtower.

"Sound the alarm! Put the castle and city on lockdown! No one goes out until dawn!" He didn't bother to wait for a response, hurrying toward the royal physician, dragged from his bed and still in his nightclothes.

Whatever abomination haunted the forest, it would soon be upon them. Odin alone knew who among them would live to see morning.

**XXXX**

A long, bellowing horn blew out across the city, guards racing through the streets on horseback, ushering the demons that inhabited the town into their crude dwellings. The Hawk narrowed her eyes as she leaped to another rooftop, blending in with the shadows as another patrol raced through the alleyway below her.

The beasts knew she was coming. They were right to be afraid.

Her red eyes gleaming, she turned her gaze to the castle - that accursed witch's last refuge - and leaped to another building, her cloak spreading like wings to send her flying even further into the air as she scaled the castle's walls.

One of the guards caught sight of her as she entered the tower. Before he could sound the alarm, she silenced him with a quick arrow to the chest, followed by a stab to his eyes. She'd been sloppy before, allowing the courier and his protector to escape. There was no room for any further mistakes.

The Hawk steeled her nerves as she ascended the castle walls with a single leap, her fingers just barely reaching the windowsill, some thirty feet from the ground below. They couldn't know she had already arrived, lest the witch lock herself deep within her stronghold. As she carefully carved the window open with an arrow, easing the glass down to avoid a crash, she slipped into the castle, filled with determination.

Tonight would be the night that the eternal winter finally ended. Tonight, the Snow Queen would finally be sent back to Hel where she belonged.

**XXXX**

Anna grunted as she dodged another one of the Captain's attacks. The old man was more aggressive than usual tonight. Though he feigned his usual indifference, the Princess wasn't blind to the look of dread that haunted his eyes. As she dodged another attack and lunged forward to counter, she found herself suddenly airborne. When her back hit the ground, the earth spun around her and lights exploded in front of her vision.

"..na? ...girl? Are...didn't...girl!" The Captain's voice became clearer as Anna's head stopped spinning. She groaned and sat up, ignoring the Captain's hand, not out of spite, but because she didn't notice it at all. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Captain Haile kneeling down beside her.

"You alright, dear?" He asked, his voice thick with shame. He threw his sword aside, taking her other shoulder and giving her a tiny shake, "You here with me?"

Anna shook her head once, twice, three times before her eyes finally focused. She groaned and threw a punch at the Captain hitting him square in the jaw.

"That hurt, you bastard!" She muttered. To her surprise, the Captain began to laugh.

"That's more like it!" He chuckled as he gave her shoulders a squeeze, "That was a bit much, I apologize, Your Highness," He sighed and shook his head, suddenly seeming far older than Anna had ever noticed. He nearly looked his age, "My mind wasn't in the right place and I took it out on you. I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me, treating you like some baby-faced recruit."

Anna sighed, running her hand through her hair and closing her eyes shut tight.

"It's okay...really, I don't want any special treatment. I just want to get stronger," she assured him, patting his hand. This time when he offered to help her to her feet, she accepted. He gave her a rough pat on the back as she went to retrieve her sword. The curiosity finally getting the better of her as she asked, "What's bothering you, Uncle Haile? You don't seem like yourself tonight."

The Captain wandered to where he'd thrown his sword, groaning as he squatted down to pick it up.

"Nothing to concern yourself with, Your Highness."

"Is it about that guard's story? The demon archer in the Elderwoods?"

Captain Haile clearly hadn't expected her to be so blunt. He stood up, twirling his sword in front of him, eyes focused on some distant point.

"Aye...listen, Anna, I wanted to tell you-" Whatever it was the Captain had to say, it was left forgotten when the sound of a horn rang out through the night. The Captain's eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a snarl, "Seven Hells! Anna, girl, get back to your-hey! Where do you think you're going?! Get back to your room, Anna! That's an order!" He shouted, watching as the Princess took off at full speed, sprinting toward the castle, her wooden sword still held tight in her hand.

"Motherf...argh! Dammit girl, wait for me!" The Captain shouted, hurrying after her.

**XXXX**

"You'll be safe in here, Your Majesty," The young man assured her as his partner finished pushing the heavy doors to the throne room closed. He breathed a sigh of relief when the door was sealed with a heavy wooden bar.

"Do we know what's happening? Has anyone been hurt?" Elsa asked, her eyes drifting between the two members of the Queen's Guard who had ushered her to safety. The castle, and likely the entire city, was in a panic. She'd never heard the warning horn blown, and, to her best knowledge, the city hadn't been under seige in decades.

The taller of the two, Erik, sighed as he took his place to the left of the throne, his hand glued to the hilt of his sword.

"Not sure, Your Majesty. Didn't hear any details, just got the order from Thorold to seal off the castle and make sure you and Her Highness were safe," he explained, unsheathing his sword and looking it over, licking his thumb and rubbing out a smudge on the blade.

The other guard, Nels, settled in on the right side of the throne, "Someone made it out of the Elderwoods alive. I heard whatever attacked them was headed this way," He explained, his voice low.

Elsa tried to settle her nerves, taking a seat on the throne between her two protectors. Her hands pinched and tugged at the silken fabric of her dress, her thoughts running wild with worry for her little sister.

"Is Anna safe?" She finally asked, breaking the silence. When neither of her guards responded, she closed her eyes and nodded. Anna was resourceful and brave, she'd be fine. And, surely, other members of the Queen's Guard were making their way to her side.

The Queen's eyes snapped open when the sound of glass shattering echoed through the throne room. She jumped to her feet, her eyes quickly moving from the glass sprinkling the floor, to the darkness overhead.

With the main doors sealed, there were only three possible entrances to the throne room: the glass window behind the throne, which rested against a cliffside that led to untamed, rock-filled waters below, and two tiny windows, each twenty feet above the ground, with no walkways or staircases that led to them. Judging from where the glass had fallen, someone had entered through the right window...but such an entry should have been impossible.

"Your Majesty, stay back…" Erik murmured, his sword at the ready, his body between the intruder and his monarch. To his right, he caught sight of his partner taking up a similar position, shield raised and eyes scanning the shadows far above the throne. A whistle shot through the air, taking out two of the candles on the chandelier, the only source of light in the room at that hour, plunging the room into even deeper darkness. Another whistle and two more candles were taken out, leaving just one to provide little more than a single spot of light in the center of the room.

Elsa's eyes went wide as a great shadow fell from the ceiling, landing on the edge of the single shaft of light. The phantom slowly rose to her feet, black smoke billowing around her like a cloak, her burning eyes the greatest source of light in the dark.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Nels called, taking a few steps forward, "If it's a fight you're looking for, I'd be happy to oblige!" Though he gave a rough chuckle as he advanced on the intruder, the Queen could hear an unmistakable twinge of fear in his voice.

The phantom's eyes drifted from one guard to the next, before finally locking with Elsa's own. Her expression suddenly twisted into an animalistic snarl and, without a word, she shot forward, her cloak stretching out like a pair of dark wings, blocking out what little light remained in the room.

Nels lunged at the oncoming attacker, his shield blocking her initial strike. He was shocked to find himself knocked back several steps from that lone strike, and that shock was enough time for the phantom to strike again, unsheathing an obsidian arrow and ramming it between the plates of his armor. With a grunt, the guard struck back, his sword slicing through the smoke, but missing the phantom as she launched herself backward with impossible speed.

The guard just managed to raise his shield in time to block a barrage of arrows. He paused to look at his shield, seeing how the arrows had pierced through it like it was made of driftwood, leaving it little more than a pincushion. With a growl he tossed his shield aside and charged at the phantom.

"We have to help him," Elsa insisted, trying to take a step toward the fight. She was stopped by Erik, who gave her a gentle shove back as he watched unblinking.

"Protecting you is our primary concern," He hissed, wincing as Nels proved far too slow to keep up with the intruder, his blows sailing harmlessly through the smoke that obscured her. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat as Nels cried out and fell to the ground, an arrow tearing through his leg. Two more heavy _thunks_ robbed his partner of the last of his strength, leaving him unmoving on the ground. Erik's eyes narrowed, his teeth gnashing and a growl working its way into his throat when the phantom began to approach him.

His rage took control of him when the phantom paused - her eyes unwavering and locked with the last guard's - to unload one last arrow into his fallen friend's neck. With a roar, he charged at the phantom.

Elsa could feel a chill in her chest as she watched the fight unfold. No, it wasn't truly a fight. Though Erik's rage was righteous and his skill was certain, he was faring no better than Nels had against the intruder. Every enraged blow passed through the phantom without slowing her in the slightest.

The Queen's lips pulled into a thin line, snowflakes appearing in the air around her. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the phantom dodge another attack. Her breath left her as she saw the phantom draw back an obsidian arrow aimed right between the guard's anger-filled eyes.

**XXXX**

"Elsa! Open up! Let me in! Argh!" Anna cried as she kicked the door to the throne room with all her strength. She succeeded, but only in knocking herself onto her backside. The door remained unmoved by her frustration. She growled as she climbed to her feet, taking another charge at the door. Her shoulder flared with pain, but the door didn't so much as budge, "I hate doors!" she muttered, laying back against the door and holding her shoulder.

"Move it, girl," came a rough, unusually serious voice.

Anna gave the Captain a wide berth as he approached the door. She flinched when the Captain gave the door a heavy hit, the sound of his blow echoing through the hallways.

"How did someone get in there? There's no other way in, right?" she wondered aloud, stepping back and looking at the door, her eyes trailing higher and higher until she noticed the windows at the top. Anna's eyes widened when she saw that one of the windows was smashed. She jumped, dropping her sword when a thunderous slam interrupted her thoughts. Another boom echoed through the castle as the Captain's fist slammed into the door once more.

"Open! The! God! Damned! Door!" He bellowed, slamming his fist against it again and again with every word. Were it made of wood, the door would have likely splintered. However, the bronze held fast against the old man's increasingly brutal swings. "These damned doors are supposed to keep her safe, but if the rat's in there and I'm out here, it might as well be a bloody tomb!" He snarled, taking another swing.

Anna's stomach churned hearing the crunch of the Captain's bones, and spotting a spray of blood smearing the door. Her eyes drifted back to the window. Catching sight of the banners hanging on either side of the throne room entrance, Anna's eyes lit up. Snatching her sword and securing it to her waist, she ran over to the banner, leaping at it. Her fingers gazed the tip, but it was just out of reach.

"What are you doing?" The Captain growled, hissing and rubbing his surely broken hand. He glanced from the Princess to the banner she was reaching for then finally to the window at the top of the wall. "Out of the question," he barked, stepping into Anna's path and lightly shoving her back as she prepared to take another running leap at the wall.

"I can get in through that window! That has to be how whatever is attacking my sister got in there!" Anna insisted, trying to shove pass the Captain. She screamed with frustration, throwing an angry punch at him when he refused to budge.

"What do you think you'll do when you get in there? Odin's right eye, girl, you've got a bloody wooden sword and you've only just figured out how to hold it!"

Before either could continue their argument, they both became aware of their breaths, now visible in the rapidly cooling air. Anna looked around, her face screwing up in desperation as she saw snowflakes starting to flutter around them. They both turned toward the throne room when they heard a familiar cry from within, and the sound of something shattering against the wall.

"She's fighting whatever is in there! I have to help her!" Anna insisted, fists clenched so tightly could feel her bones grinding. For a moment, her courage wavered and a hitch slipped into her voice, "I can't lose her again, Uncle Haile."

The Captain's jaw tensed, turning away from Anna to the window high up on the wall. With a sigh, he marched toward her, grabbing her shoulders.

"You get in there and you open that door. You don't fight, you don't put yourself in harm's way. You open that damned door and you let me handle this, understood?" When the Princess refused to answer, he gave her a shake, "Do you understand me, Your Highness?"

"I understand," Anna whispered, she scowled when the Captain shook her again.

"Say it louder!" He barked.

"I understand!" Anna shouted her voice cracking. She shrugged his hand off of her, thrusting her finger toward the banner "I'll open the door, just help me get inside!"

At first, it seemed like the Captain was going to change his mind, but the sound of a cry from within the room and another sudden drop in the temperature settled the debate for him. Nodding his head toward the wall, he squatted down, cupping his hands.

Without a word, Anna raced toward him. The moment her foot touched his hands, he launched her into the air, nearly halfway up the banner already. Anna quickly snatched at the fabric, praying it would hold her. It only took her a moment to get her balance, and then everything else disappeared from her mind as she pulled herself up the wall and toward the window. The hole left behind by the intruder was small and jagged, not quite big enough for her to fit through safely. That couldn't stop her; nothing could stop her now. Reaching the window, she positioned her feet on the wall just below and thrust herself backward.

As she swung toward the window, she kicked out the remaining glass and vanished inside.

**XXXX**

Elsa's knees nearly buckled as she managed to defend herself against another one of the phantom's furious strikes. Her chest was starting to hurt as she struggled to keep control of her breathing. She could already feel her control slipping; the kingdom couldn't afford another catastrophe caused by her weakness.

Let your body move you. Those words found a place in the back of her mind as she slid across the ground, moving as though she were ice skating. Her eyes were growing tired as she refused to blink, desperate to keep her attacker in sight. With every icicle thrown, every burst of frigid wind, she could see the phantom growing even more enraged. She nearly breathed a sigh of relief as an icy blast finally collided with the phantom, sending her crashing into the throne room doors. That relief vanished instantly as the attacker rose back to her feet and threw her head back, unleashing an inhuman screech that shook the castle walls.

"Wh-what the…" Elsa murmured, backing away from the growing darkness. The shadows were coalescing around the phantom, merging with the smoke rising up from her cloak until they completely consumed her. As the screech continued, the phantom's voice cracked and it grew even louder. Two massive wings erupted from the darkness, blowing back the darkness and revealing the intruder's monstrous new form.

Hunched over, her hands had become grasping talons, clawing at the floor, ripping through the carpet and carving the stone like it was paper. Her wings flapped again, lifting her into the air. Her feet had become claws much like her hands, one talon on each foot being quite a bit larger, and surely more deadly, than the rest. Her eyes were larger, their wicked red light pouring out like fire. As she screeched again, Elsa could see the dim light from the room gleaming against her razor sharp fangs, her mouth seeming far too large for her thin face.

Her transformation complete, the Hawk launched herself at the Queen, her screech and sudden attack masking the sound of falling glass nearby.

Elsa tried to rein in her emotions, her hands trembling as a familiar, but not at all comforting, cold began to spread up from her fingertips. Doing what she could to settle her panicked breathing, she swung her arms, a bit harder than she meant to, sending waves of jagged ice, rather than icicles, at the approaching monster. To her horror, the Hawk moved with impossible speed, suddenly shifting left and right, like a shadow fading as a cloud passed over the sun, avoiding the attacks before they could even come close to her.

Elsa brought her hands in to her chest, focusing her power. Her eyes took on a soft blue glow as the cold air around her collapsed into her cupped palms. With a sharp inhale, she prepared to unleash a reckless blast. Her eyes widened and her control left her, along with most of the energy she'd been gathering, as a familiar flash of copper hair appeared in her vision. Her hands flew to her face as she watched her sister dive in the way of the Hawk's strike, the wooden sword she wielded smashing into the monster's face and knocking her off course.

"Anna?! What are you doing here?!" Elsa cried out in disbelief. She quickly tugged Anna back, thrusting her hand out and releasing what power she had left from the attack she'd been preparing. It was enough to blow the Hawk back, the monster screeching as she shot into the shadows overhead, disappearing.

"I'm here to save you!" Anna insisted, eyes scanning the rafters, her wooden sword held so tightly that her hands were beginning to shake, "Wh-what is that thing?"

"Save me?! Anna, it isn't safe here! You need to get out! Not again…" Elsa moved in front of Anna and threw both hands up, a wall of ice erupting from the ground. Not a moment later, a barrage of arrows began to slam into the wall, their obsidian tips somehow managing to pierce through the air no matter how hard Elsa concentrated. Thankfully, as she poured her strength into maintaining the wall, none of the arrows managed to make it more than halfway through before losing their momentum.

"It's not safe for you either! I'm not just going to hide while someone tries to kill you!" Anna shot back, staying close to her sister.

"All you have is a wooden sword! Where did you even get that?!" Elsa hissed, shifting her stance and expanding the icy barrier as the arrows began to pour out of the darkness from a wider angle. Her barrier was still managing to hold back the attack, but as she grew it, it was becoming harder to keep it as strong as it had been before. Her eyes began to glow brighter as she took control of the air around them, shoving the arrows that managed to get through away from herself and her sister.

She could feel the chill in her fingertips starting to spread up her arms.

She was losing control.

"It's my sword and it's the only thing I had!" Anna was now standing back to back with Elsa, the pair slowly circling as they tried to zero in on where the Hawk's attacks were coming from. She could feel her sister's body trembling as she maintained her defense. The air was getting colder with every passing second. "If you can get us to the door, Captain Haile is on the other side. With his help, I'm sure we can beat this thing."

Elsa nodded, taking a shallow breath as she began to move her barrier toward the entrance. The pair slowly made their way through the room, but they only managed to make it about halfway before they were forced to an abrupt halt. Elsa threw her hands out to her sides, her icy barrier turning into a frozen dome as the Hawk's arrows began to come from every direction at once.

Her head was pounding. Everything around her seemed still and silent. The chill in her hands had spread up to her elbows and she could feel a similar chill starting to spread up from her toes. Distantly, she could hear Anna's voice. Though she couldn't make out the words, she could hear worry in her sister's voice. Elsa's eyes turned a darker shade of blue. If she just gave in a little bit, she knew she had the power to win this fight. She just needed to give up control for a moment...she just needed to let go for one...single...moment…

The image of Anna's frozen face flashed in Elsa's mind. With a scream, Elsa unleashed her power, the icy barrier exploding outward, becoming an unrelenting burst of arctic wind that tore the obsidian arrows apart. Faintly she could hear the Hawk screech, the sound almost bringing a smile to her face. The chill was spreading up her legs, and further up her arms. Her eyes were glowing fiercer and darker. As her vision refocused, she managed to take in the room around her.

The throne room was covered in ice, different shades of blue, jagged and unforgiving. There were icicles pierced through the walls in every direction, the windows had shattered, and the chandelier that had previously lit the room now hung cold and lightless over the sisters. Shivering, not from the cold, but from the rush of power surging through her, Elsa turned to her sister. What little smile she'd managed vanished, along with the sense of elation she'd felt previously. Anna's cheeks were bright red, but her lips were beginning to turn blue. She was hunched over, hands grasping her sword as if her life depended on it, the training weapon rattling as the Princess shivered violently.

"Anna! No, no, no...hang on, I'll make it warmer, just a moment!" Elsa took several deep breaths, trying to push back the numbness in her limbs and get control of the air once more. She took one last long, deep breath and slowly let it out, lowering her hands in time with her breath. The room was beginning to warm, the icicles were beginning to disappear into crystal flakes. She opened her eyes, smiling when Anna flashed her a grin.

"D-d-don't...d-don't worry, I'm f…" Anna's smile vanished, her eyes narrowing, "Elsa, look out!" Anna shot forward, shoving Elsa aside and taking a wild swing with her sword.

The Queen heard the sound of wood splintering as she hit the ground. She quickly sat up, eyes wide, mouth agape as she watched the Hawk's claws rip through her sister's thin shirt, painting the frozen ground with a spray of blood. The blow was strong enough to knock Anna off her feet, sending her flying back several feet before she collapsed on the ground, unmoving.

"NO!" Elsa screamed, hurrying to her sister's side. She could hear the Hawk screech behind her and unleashed a torrent of cold, blowing the phantom away from them. Dropping to her knees, her hands trembled as she took in the damage that had been done. Anna's shirt was torn open, three long gashes going across her chest, blood quickly turning the cotton red. She pressed her hands tight against the wound, tears quickly freezing on her cheeks as the blood continued to seep through her fingers. Desperate to stop the bleeding, she traced her fingers across the lacerations, a thin layer of ice freezing them shut. Still, her sister remained still, her breaths shallow and weak.

"No...no, Anna, please, no...please...I just…I just got you..." Elsa sobbed as she collapsed, clinging to her sister. Somewhere a thousand miles away, she heard an unearthly scream. A heavy _thunk_ collided with the ground near her. Slowly, Elsa lifted her head, staring at the arrow that had pieced the stone inches away from her sister's face.

_She's dead because of you_.

Her own voice whispered in her ear, drowning out the sound of another arrow sailing passed her. Her vision unfocused and blurry, Elsa looked down at the hand she had laid on her sister's wounds. Her fingers had turned crystal blue, and the cold was quickly rising from Anna's fallen body and spreading up her arms. She lifted her hands and stared at them, watching as they began to freeze.

Slowly, she rose to her feet. She couldn't feel them either, surely the cold had taken them too, judging by the numbness spreading up her calves. Her blue eyes dark and stormy, Elsa slowly turned to face the phantom that was coming toward her. With little more than a wave of her hand, she unleashed a torrent of ice, snow, and wind, the force of the attack sending the phantom flying backward. Giant, sharp waves of ice had arisen from the ground in front of her; icicles, each larger than the Hawk herself, formed in the air and launched themselves toward the phantom.

The throne room walls were beginning to creak and rumble as the ice quickly spread, encasing everything it touched. Pottery shattered, plants froze and died, paintings peeled and fell from where they hung, only to freeze to the wall before they hit the ground. Ice like teeth grew up from the ground and extended from the ceiling, until the room itself looked like a gaping mouth ready to devour anything that entered.

Though the temperature was becoming dangerously low, Elsa couldn't feel it at all. As an obsidian arrow shot from the darkness, slicing open her cheek, she couldn't feel the burning pain it brought, nor could she feel the blood that was quickly freezing to her skin.

She couldn't feel anything at all.

_You killed her_.

As those words echoed in her head, growing fainter and fainter as silence enveloped her, Elsa couldn't bring herself to fear what may happen if she let go of her powers. As her forearms became crystal blue ice, she welcomed the numbness spreading through her.

She embraced the cold taking control.

**XXXX**

Pain. The only thing she could think or feel was a searing, growing pain that seemed to be radiating from her center. As she struggled to recall anything else, the pain became even more intense. Her fingers twitched. She had fingers, she remembered. Her toes twitched next. She tried to find a way through the darkness, but whichever way she rolled her head, she only found black.

Her nose twitched and with a loud gasp, her chest heaved, sucking in air and forcing her eyes open at last. The first thing she noticed was her own gasp of air hanging heavy in front of her. Then she felt the cold starting to seep in through the pain. With a grunt, Anna clenched her eyes shut and tried to sit up. Her arms tried to obey her, elbows pushing into the hard, cold stone beneath her. The slightest movement caused the pain she'd felt before to erupt, dropping her limp to the ground.

"C-can't...c-can't m-move…" Her lips formed the words but no sound escaped her lips. Anna swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to roll over. Her legs answered, her knees trying to bend. When the pain returned, she grit her teeth and tried to bear it. In moments, what little breath she'd caught was spent and she collapsed again.

_You have to save her._

Anna opened her eyes, trembling as she continued breathing in tiny gasps. Grinding her teeth again, she tried to sit up. Like before, the pain robbed her of little more movement than simple shivering. A tear slid down her cheek, her mouth falling open.

"I ca-can't...I can't…" she mouthed, pleading with the voice in her head.

_Your Snow Fairy needs you._

She couldn't move, she thought to herself, arguing with a voice that sounded so similar to her own, but was so very different. She clenched her eyes shut, a few more tears slipping free. The pain was getting worse; she was becoming more and more aware of the thumping in her chest. She balled her hands into fists and tried to push with her elbows once again. She gasped, collapsing again as a sudden shock robbed her of her breath.

_Do you want to save her?_

"Of course...I...do..." Anna murmured, forcing the words to come out. She forced her knees to bend, pressing her feet into the ground as she pulled them in. With a strangled cry, she pushed herself over, onto her chest. The wound she'd been fighting against made its presence suffocating, like three knives rammed into her lungs. Anna forced her arms up, fists beating on the stone. She pushed on her fists, pulling one knee in to help her stand. Eyes narrowed, a sob catching in her throat, she shot her hand out, snatching one of the icicles that had formed along her sister's throne.

_Do you love her?_

She'd managed to get to her hands and knees, but that simple task had robbed her of what remained of her strength. Sweat streamed down her face, stinging her eyes. With a resolute nod, Anna choked out, "Of course, I love her!"

_**THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL ON THE GROUND?!**_

Anna's eyes snapped open, a rush of warmth spreading out from her chest, chasing away the pain she'd felt before. She pulled on the icicle, bringing herself up to one knee. In the distance, she could see a bright, shimmering light. Finding it impossible to pull herself the rest of the way up, she reached out with her right hand, fingers reaching as far as they could, desperate to clasp the light.

The more she reached, the warmer it became. The closer she got, the more she felt her strength returning. Just a little further, she thought as she leaned toward the light. As her fingers wrapped around the warmth, clutching it tight in her fist, shimmering streams of light sprayed from between her fingers.

The light surged through Anna's tired body. Like waves crashing against the shoreline, it washed away the pain and the fatigue, filling her with an impossible energy.

Her eyes wide, her grimace of pain replaced with confusion, confusion that was quickly becoming a grin of confidence, Anna forced herself to her feet, launching herself in the direction of the fight.

A storm was raging inside the throne room, biting winds sharp enough to cut through steel filled with even sharper icicles. Anna's body moved on its own, her legs carrying her faster than they ever had before, ducking and weaving through the spray of ice and obsidian arrows. Her eyes refused to close as they locked on to her sister's form.

Her sister was unleashing a freezing fury upon the Hawk, massive waves of ice erupting from her fingertips with every swipe of her arms. Her opponent, however, seemed to be growing stronger and faster as the Snow Queen's assault grew more bitter and more uncontrolled. As Elsa prepared a devastating arctic blast, the Hawk suddenly surged forward, appearing in front of the Queen in an instant, talons reaching for her target's throat.

The din of combat was suddenly silenced by a flash of steel and the clang of claws striking metal. Anna stood in front of Elsa, a sword in her hands, its silver-blue blade easily holding back the Hawk's surely fatal strike. The sight of her sister snapped Elsa out of her trance, a hand rushing to her chest.

"A-Anna?" She cried, "Y-you're alright?" the ice was quickly melting away from the Queen's arms and legs. Already the temperature of the room was dropping, the frozen stalactites and stalagmites beginning to melt.

Anna allowed herself a smirk as she lunged, pushing back the Hawk's attack and unleashing her own. The blow cleaved through the phantom's side, a stream of black blood painting her sword's edge.

"Gotta win this first, we'll talk later!" Anna called back, twirling her sword with an uncanny precision before settling into a far surer stance than she'd ever taken before. Her confidence only grew as she felt her sister take a place at her side.

"Right," Elsa breathed, nodding as she took control of her powers once more, "We'll do it together."

"Together!" Without waiting for further confirmation, Anna charged at the phantom. Her sword seemed to provide its own light, leaving a silver-blue trail as it cleaved through the Hawk's retaliatory strike. When the phantom shot into the air, Anna's hips twisted, her gaze locked with the monster. Her feet moved on their own, launching her into the air with a mighty swing.

While the Hawk managed to deflect Anna's attack, she was caught off guard by a stream of icicles slicing through her wings. With a roar, she shot higher in the air, her bow appearing in her hands.

"Anna get behind me!" Elsa shot forward, a barrier of frozen air swirling in front of her hand, deflecting the Hawk's strikes. The pair circled around the phantom, finding themselves in the same situation they had been in before, "I need to get it out of the air...we can't win down here," Elsa muttered. She flinched when she felt Anna's hand on her shoulder. Turning back, she was surprised to find a grin on her sister's face.

"You're right! We need to get up there! Lift me up, like when we were kids!" Anna tugged Elsa back, her arm moving with unnatural speed to slice through three arrows that the Hawk had fired from behind Elsa's barrier.

"Anna, no! That's how I hurt you before, don't...of course you don't remember," Elsa sighed, taking her turn to tug Anna away from the Hawk's attacks, striking several of the arrows from the sky before retaliating with a burst of ice. The icicles managed to clip the Hawk's wings, but it only succeeded in angering her and forcing her even higher into the air, "I don't know where you got that sword, but it doesn't make you invincible!"

The pair switched places, Elsa falling back as Anna shot forward to meet the Hawk's direct assault. The Princess was able to quickly deflect the phantom's strikes, her body shifting this way and that, dodging the monster's impossibly quick strikes as her own managed to meet their mark more often than not. With a battle cry, Anna jumped and threw a kick at the Hawk, sending the phantom tumbling backward.

Surprising both sisters, Anna hit the ground, rolled backward, and then flung herself back to her feet in one fluid motion, sword still in hand and kept between the pair and the monster.

"I don't know, I'm feeling pretty invincible right now," Anna commented, flashing Elsa another grin.

The Queen felt something inside her stir, as if she were trying to recall a dream moments after waking. Though she was terrified for her sister's safety, and terrified of the monster they were facing, something about Anna's expression set her heart at ease. Before she could stop herself, she found herself smiling

"Alright, you win," Elsa relented, taking up her place beside her sister, the two of them watching as the Hawk disappeared into the shadows above again. "You'll have to be fast...don't worry, I won't let you fall," When Anna flashed her another smile, Elsa felt a flutter in her chest.

"I know you won't," without another word, Anna took off toward the opposite end of the throne room, where the phantom had vanished. Without missing a beat, she gave a little hop, stepping onto the pillar of snow that Elsa was forming beneath her. A shrill screech from the darkness shocked her for a moment, but she quickly called out "Just keep giving me a way to her! Don't bother shielding me!"

Elsa bit her lip for a moment, but, nodded, choosing to trust Anna's instincts. She held up one hand, creating a barrier of frozen wind in front of herself, and kept her other hand free to create a path for Anna to reach the phantom.

As a storm of obsidian arrows erupted from the darkness, the Princess felt her body begin to move on its own. Trusting that Elsa would always have a foothold for her, she ducked and leaped from side to side, the arrows sailing around her, as if she already knew where they would be before they were fired.

What am I doing? Anna thought as she continued her ascent, arm whipping to slash an arrow from her path. How am I doing this? Though she was more confused than ever about her newfound abilities, she forced those thoughts from her mind as she tumbled to avoid a focused barrage of arrows.

Elsa winced, the exertion from protecting herself and trying to predict Anna's movements was beginning to drain her. Her outheld arm wavered for a moment, but that moment was just enough time to allow an obsidian arrow to sail through, striking her in the shoulder. The force was enough to throw her to the ground. She gasped, her hand flying to her shoulder as searing pain and paralysis began to spread down her limb.

"Elsa!" Anna cried, seeing her sister struck. She turned back, eyes widening as she saw the Hawk emerge from the darkness, her mouth open in a gruesome screech, her talons pulled back and ready to strike the Princess down. A snarl finding its way to her lips, Anna took a leap from her current foothold, drawing her sword back for one final desperate strike. The pair were on a collision course...and the Hawk was far faster.

A pillar of snow suddenly erupted from the ground, catching Anna's foot. Without a second thought, the Princess pushed off the pillar, throwing herself into the air, sailing over the Hawk's strike. Realizing this would be her only chance, Anna readied her blade and spun around, throwing a strike with all her strength at the phantom's back. The blow rang true. The Hawk unleashed an ear shattering scream as the blow sent her flying to the ground.

The snow pillars collapsed into each other, forming a snowy hill for the falling princess to crash into. She tumbled down the side, the snow shifting to form a crude slide that deposited her safely on the floor below.

"Whew! Thanks for the save!" Anna called, pushing herself up to her knees, using her sword to help her stand, "Are you okay, Els-"

"ANNA! LOOK OUT!" Elsa's voice cracked as she screamed.

Time seemed to slow down as Anna turned away from her sister to face the beast approaching her. Her knees bent and her stance shifted. She brought her sword up and lunged forward, embedding her blade in the creature's chest.

The Hawk's claws fell to her side as she went limp for a moment.

Anna's eyes widened as the girl looked up, the shadowy form of the beast hanging around her like a fog. Now, she could clearly see her face: her long nose, slender cheeks and hazel eyes. She was just a girl, probably even younger than Vera. A shiver rolled through Anna's body as she watched the girl clutch the sword embedded in her chest.

"S…" The girl's words caught in her throat. She coughed, blood trickling down her lips. She looked up at Anna, a hopeful look in her eyes, "Save...us…" she whispered before collapsing. As she fell forward, her body began to break down, becoming a cloud of light that harmlessly passed through the Princess, leaving the monster's shadow behind.

The Hawk threw its head back, giving one final screech that shook the castle, streams of dark light now pouring out of its chest.

"Oh shi-" An explosion of darkness robbed Anna of her curse, the force sending her flying across the throne room.

She could faintly hear someone's voice calling out to her. She opened her eyes, her vision swimming. The pain she'd ignored before was quickly returning and her hand felt empty without her sword. She peered up at the white-haired Snow Fairy sitting over her, crystal tears streaming down her cheeks. Anna reached out to wipe her tears away, but her arm went limp before her hand could reach. Her lips moved, forming words, but no sound escaped. With one last sigh, the world around her went dark.


	6. The Girl Who Could Fly

**Frozen**

_**A Melody from the Past**_

**Chapter 6: The Girl Who Could Fly**

With one last roar and one final impact, the beam holding the throne room door finally snapped. The bronze doors flew open, the thunderous slam of them hitting the walls echoing alongside the sound of the Captain's boots on the stone. His narrowed eyes drifted from one end of the room to the other and his hand gripped his sword so tight that he could feel his knuckles popping as he adjusted his hold. A glimmer of dark light caught his attention, but only for a moment; it was quickly snatched again by the sound of sobbing and urgent whispers.

"Please wake up...please, please, please, Anna," the Captain stormed through the ice and snow to find the source of the cries. The old man's harsh gaze softened, his mouth falling open when he finally arrived at the scene.

Elsa was on her knees, hunched over her sister's fallen form. The air around them was filled with snowflakes that simply hung in the air, as though the wind itself refused to intrude on the Queen's despair. A spiral of ice had sprung from the ground around them, its razor sharp edges a warning to anyone who might approach them. As he got a better look at the two, the Captain's hand slid away from his sword to his chest.

Anna was unmoving, her skin reddening from the cold, her lips a pale shade of blue. As he drew closer, the Captain craned his neck to get a better look at the fallen princess. Grunting as he bumped into one of the icicles protecting the pair, he cleared his throat.

"Elsa-" the word escaped his lips as little more than a cracked whisper. Clearing his throat louder, he spoke up once more, "Your Majesty."

The Queen went abruptly silent; the throne room fell into a similar stillness. Furrowing his brow, his gaze drifting from Elsa to Anna's unmoving form, the Captain cleared his throat one final time.

"Your Majesty, permission to approach?" the unfamiliar formality in the Captain's tone hung heavy in the air. When Elsa made no further movement, the Captain began to reach for his sword. However strong the Queen's magic may be, not even the cold of Niflheim could stay his hand, or keep him away from his charges.

Before the Captain could take further action, the icy spiral retracted back into the ground and the snow that had been hanging in the air around him began to drift to the floor. The final nail in the stillness was the sound of his niece sobbing. He rushed over to the pair, sliding to his knees as he reached Anna's side. He reached out, his fingers trembling slightly as his hand settled on the Queen's shoulder.

"Elsa, are you alright? Your Majesty?" keeping his voice low, Captain Haile threw a brief look toward the entrance, then turned to face his Queen. His bushy beard hid his frown when he finally managed to look the young woman in the eyes, their blue a darker shade than he recalled.

"Please, help her...I tried to stop the bleeding, but I...I'm just...I'm fr...freezing h-" Another sob interrupted the Queen's explanation as she collapsed once more against her sister.

Captain Haile gave her shoulder a light tug, motioning with a tilt of his head for her to sit back. Finally able to get a good look at his new protege, the corner of his mouth flicked downward, his nose scrunching. Whatever had struck Anna had done so with incredible force. Peeling back the cotton of her shirt, pausing and shushing Elsa when the Queen began to protest, the Captain took a closer look at her wounds.

"You need to bring the temperature back up, Your Majesty," he said. Nodding, his mouth a firm line, the Captain tore off part of his own training shirt and glanced back at his Queen, "And you need to unfreeze the wound. I'll get the bleeding under control, and we've got Lamont on the way to look over the pair of you…" the Captain's words trailed off as Elsa's shifting posture finally allowed him a clear look at her.

Though she was trembling, her eyelids heavy and her breaths coming in ragged gasps, at first she'd seemed none the worse for wear save for a nasty cut across her cheek. However, at this angle, the Captain could see her left arm hanging at her side, her right hand reaching up to grip the black arrow embedded in her shoulder. The Queen jumped when a heavy hand suddenly gripped hers and pulled it back.

"Don't try to take it out, you'll only make it worse. Leave that to Lamont and Espen...can you move your arm?"

Elsa closed her eyes, a tremble running through her as her lips pulled back in a grimace. Her left arm twitched, her fingers, wrapped in an unfamiliar navy blue glove, spread and then closed again. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, she managed to raise her left arm, but only a few inches before it fell limp at her side again.

"It...h-hurts t-too m...much," her words were becoming slurred as she began to waver. The Queen swallowed and slid forward, caressing Anna's face. She bit her lip as fresh tears began to roll down her cheeks, "I c-could...c-couldn't s-sav…"

The Captain wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a warm embrace. He kissed her head and shushed her.

"She's fine, she'll be fine. I just need you to get this room back to normal. Can you do that for me?"

It took a moment for Elsa to respond, but eventually she nodded and held out her bare right hand. The wind whipped into a swirl around them, the piles of snow and pillars of ice melting into a storm of glitter and sparkles, all gathering in the palm of the Queen's hand. Elsa tightened her hand into a fist, causing the remnants of her frigid outburst to collapse into a shimmering sphere of cold wind. Then, opening her palm, she released it, the magic disappearing into the ether, the room returning to its normal temperature.

Captain Haile nodded, giving her another kiss as he focused his attention on Anna's re-opened chest wound.

"You'll be fine, Your Majesty. So will she, you'll see." The Captain looked up as he heard footsteps approaching, "It's about time! Get your arses in here!"

His bellow echoed off the walls, the sound quickly drowned by rapid falling footsteps as a slew of newcomers rushed into the throne room.

"I need Lamont or Espen now!" Again the Captain's bellow drowned out the din of activity. A lanky young man in a dressing gown, a satchel far too big for him hanging on his shoulder, shoved his way through the crowd and hurried toward the fallen monarch and her sister.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my, that's qu-qu-qu-quite an amount of blood," Espen's voice trembled as he fumbled toward the fallen princess. "Three...long, deep...lots of b-b-blood, dear me, dear me…" his stumbling words offset the precision his fingers employed as they set to work cleaning and treating Anna's wounds. Every so often, his nervous eyes would flick toward the Queen.

"D-d-d-do we know wh-wh-what cau-cau-caused all this co-commotion?" Espen pursed his lips into a thin line when his question went unanswered.

"Still working that out, keep your mind on your work, Espen," Nodding to himself and giving Espen a pat on the back, the Captain turned to Elsa and began to rise to his feet, "Come on, Your Majesty. We'll give Espen room to work and we'll get you fixed up. Come, I won't take no for an answer," The Captain helped Elsa to her feet, keeping an arm around her shoulders to keep her steady as they made their way toward the guards gathering. Captain Haile frowned, an arm snaking around Elsa's waist to keep her steady when her knees gave out.

"At ease, don't crowd her!" The Captain gently lowered Elsa back to the ground, eyes drawn to her hand reaching up to grip the arrow once again, "Let one of the experts take it out, you'll just hurt yourself." His voice raising once more, he turned to the others, "Seven Hells, where is Lamont?" Captain Haile's eyes flicked back toward the Queen when he felt her flinch in his embrace. She hadn't blinked in some time, and he could feel her tremors getting worse with every breath she took. Sighing, he lowered his voice and leaned his head against hers, "It's alright, you're safe now...just try to breathe, alright?"

"Captain Haile! We found something you might want to see, sir!" One of the guards called, hunched over the source of dark light the Captain had ignored earlier.

"Bring it here, Roland," refusing to separate from his niece before the head physician arrived, the Captain kept his attention on Elsa, rubbing her shoulder as he held her close. He flinched when an unfamiliar voice cried out.

"Don't touch that!" The raspy old shout was followed by the resounding snap of wood colliding with metal and Roland cursing.

"Tyr's Hand, watch where you're swinging that cane, old man!"

Captain Haile narrowed his eyes, keeping his wary gaze focused on the newcomer. It was the scholar, Sapphire or something, who had been visiting the castle the last couple days. The old man spent all of his time in the library, so the Captain had only been briefly introduced to him. He'd seemed like a nice enough fellow, but as he shoved one of the Captain's men aside, there was a liveliness to him that unsettled the Captain.

"You fool, do you have any idea what you could have done?! Do you have a family? A wife? Children? If you'd so much as laid a finger on this artifact...you can't even imagine the horror you'd have unleashed," Safiya finally succeeded in getting the guards to back away from the object, swinging his cane as if he were attempting some kind of spell. Breathing a tired sigh, the old man crouched down, using the tip of his cane to push the object around, "Sun, moon, and stars...I never imagined one would be here…"

Before anyone could question the scholar further, a much-welcomed figure hurried into the throne room. Panting, Lamont paused for a second to catch his breath.

"My apologies for my lateness, I was - Allfather's mercy! Your Majesty!" The head physician hurried to the fallen Queen's side, his fatigue forgotten and his attention zeroed in on the arrow embedded in her shoulder. With gentle hands, he lifted Elsa's chin, turning her face as he tried to look her in the eye. He frowned and sighed, "Poor thing...that damned arrow's poison, no doubt. Let me have a look. Come on now, there's not much time."

While Lamont fussed over her shoulder and Captain Haile fussed over Lamont, Elsa's gaze drifted through the people surrounding her. She watched the scholar fiddle around with the object on the ground, pausing every so often to chase away anyone who got close. Elsa's stomach churned and a tremor - one powerful enough to force her to double over - radiated from her chest. As she pushed herself up off the ground, she stared at her left hand, at the quickly conjured glove into which she'd forced it. Another tremor hit her, this one causing her head to throb and her vision to blur, becoming a mix of black and white.

"What...what di-did you fi-find, Scholar Safiya?" her voice surprised everyone. Elsa clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the room to stop spinning before she dared open them again. Though, as she kept them closed, she found herself being drawn into sleep's sweet embrace. Another tremor forced her eyes open and her legs to move. With some help from whoever was holding her hand, Elsa shuffled through the line cleared for her, until she reached where the scholar was hunched over.

She slid to her knees, breathing in ragged breaths as she stared at the object. It was a small, sharp piece of rock or gemstone, its black surface somehow shifting between transparent and opaque. She couldn't quite look directly at it, as her eyes unfocused and blurred the longer she peered into the deep, dark light - light that resembled thin fingers of sunlight just barely visible from the bottom of the ocean - that radiated from within the stone.

Another tremor hit her, causing her to double over once again, clutching her chest.

"Your Majesty...Queen Elsa," The scholar's voice was softer now, just loud enough to pierce the stillness that had filled the young Queen's thoughts, "This is an artifact of immense, malicious power. You must seal it away. Use your magic."

"She's in no condition to be using her magic, Scholar. Give her time to recover," a rough voice at her side - her uncle, she realized - spoke up. Another, much softer - the royal physician - chimed in to agree.

"She's in shock, she needs immediate medical treatment. If I don't…"

Elsa sat up, reaching out with her bare right hand. A swirl of snowflakes and arctic wind rose up from the ground, surrounding the black stone. Her fingers trembled as the magic began to solidify, until it became a crudely conjured ice sphere, the light blue texture quickly darkening as it was exposed to the dark light within. Despite its fragile appearance, the ice kept the light within contained, even after it fell to the floor.

The sound of the orb colliding with the stone was muffled by the sound of its creator's body hitting the floor first. The scholar turned his worried gaze away from the Queen, his fingers trembling as he leaned down and plucked the sphere from the ground. While the others began to treat the Queen's wounds, the scholar's brow furrowed.

He was right to come to Arendelle.

**XXXX**

"Sofia!"

A little girl groaned and rubbed her eyes, sticking her tongue out as she brushed the powdery snow from her face. That afternoon's snowfall was much gentler than anyone had expected, making it the perfect time to sneak away from her chores, lie back, and watch the cloud-covered sky. Sitting up, the girl coughed and brushed away the snow that had been piling up on her. It had been too perfect an afternoon; the chilly wind and peaceful silence the snow brought must have lulled her into a nap.

"Sofia, where are you? Come on, you're gonna get me in trouble!"

The little girl grinned, slipping to her feet and shuffling to the edge of her perch, peering down at the older boy below. Keeping her eyes locked on her prey, her hands fumbled around at her feet, packing in a handful of snow until it was the size of an apple. Pulling her scarf tighter around her mouth to muffle her own giggles, she crept across her hiding spot, inching closer and closer to where the boy was searching.

Drawing her hand back, she gave a loud whistle and called out at him:

"Olle! Head's up!" The boy's head whipped toward the sound of the voice, just in time for the snowball to slap him right on the nose. Sputtering and cursing, he brushed the snow from his face, glaring up at his attacker.

The little girl was sitting on the edge of the roof, two stories off the ground, her legs dangling off the edge as she continued laughing at her brother's frustration.

"Cute, thanks, Sister. What did Mom say about climbing on things?" Olle shivered and crossed his arms, turning and marching back in the direction he'd come from, "Whatever, just get down already, Dad's looking for you." He paused and rolled his eyes when he heard a _thump_ behind him. He cursed again when his sister charged passed him, elbowing him in the side, "Argh! Why are you such a pain in my ass?"

"Papa says that's what little sisters are supposed to be!" Without waiting for his response, she giggled again and hurried off toward home. Her smile grew when she caught sight of her father, his looming frame wrapped in a fur cloak that she'd borrowed on more than one occasion for her cloud gazing, talking to Sir Colin, the town's head guard. "Volunteer Guard," Sofia mumbled in a tone mimicking her father's voice, her grin full to bursting as she tackled him from behind.

The seven-year-old squealed as she found herself suddenly snatched from the ground and flipped into the air before landing safely in a strong embrace that she'd been missing for weeks now.

"Papa! You're finally home!"

"I am...have you been up to no good while I was away?" Though he spoke in a stern voice, Sofia couldn't miss the way the corner of his eyes crinkled as he fought to hide his smile. He finally allowed himself to laugh when his daughter threw her arms back, proudly exclaiming:

"You know it!" She squealed again when he leaned in, giving her a rough kiss, his unkempt stubble tickling her cheek, before lifting her to his shoulders. She was all too eager to reclaim her favorite perch.

"Sounds like a good time. You'll have to tell me more about it later," A quickly forgotten figure cleared his throat, interrupting the reunion.

"Vincent, remember what we discussed. I need an answer, the sooner, the better," Sir Colin, his expression stern and unfriendly, threw a glance at Sofia. He forced a smile to his face and offered her a curt nod before returning his glare to her father.

Vincent gave a mirthless chuckle, clicking his tongue as he lowered his head.

"I'll think about it, that's all I'll say for now," his tone left no more room for discussion. Flashing him a final warning glance, Sir Colin said his goodbyes and took his leave. Sofia watched him go, waiting with bated breath for someone to say anything to break the silence. Her wish was granted when her father gave a big sigh.

"Sorry about that, Little Bird. Part of being a grown-up is putting up with boring chats like that one." Vincent glanced to his side as Olle came around the corner. He gave his son a pat on the shoulder, "Thanks for finding her, Son. We'll be back in a bit, take care of your mother for me."

"I will. Don't keep her out too late, she needs a bath tonight," Olle grinned and gave Sofia's leg a tug as she stuck her tongue out and tried to kick him. Chuckling, he slid inside, breathing a sigh as he stepped into the hearth's gentle warmth.

Once the door was shut, Vincent tilted his head back, meeting his daughter's curious gaze.

"I bet you're wondering what we're going to do tonight, huh?" He chuckled when she nodded eagerly, "It's a nice afternoon, should be a reasonable evening," Vincent could feel his daughter's excitement growing as she kicked her legs a bit more forcefully with each moment he went without revealing their plans. He turned toward the house, gesturing toward what was leaning up against the wall.

Sofia squealed and flung herself from her father's shoulders, pausing and staring wide-eyed at the pair of bows leaning against the side of the house. One she immediately recognized as her father's. It was big, bigger than she was, and had been his tool of choice for her entire life. The second one, though, was smaller and carefully crafted to look near identical to its much larger counterpart. Fingers trembling, she glanced back at her father, her mouth falling open when he nodded.

She picked up the bow, her hands still shaking. Then, carefully she held it out as she'd seen her father do a thousand times before. Her hazel eyes narrowed as she imagined herself pulling an arrow back. It felt perfect, more perfect than she'd dreamed.

"Someone has to teach you to hunt, Little Bird, why shouldn't it be me?" Vincent grinned as he squatted down beside his daughter, roughly tousling her already messy black hair. He was caught off guard when his little girl tackled him with another hug. His grin becoming a softer smile, he returned the embrace and kissed her head.

Sofia could hear his voice get softer, becoming serious as he repeated to himself, "Why shouldn't it be me?" She peered up at her father, his gaze staring off into the distance, to where the Sir Colin had retreated.

"Papa?" Her voice, soft, but with just enough whine to get his attention, snapped him out of his daze. Vincent snapped his fingers, motioning for Sofia to hold still.

"One last thing…" Working with a tenderness and precision that belied a man of his gruff exterior, Vincent bit his tongue as he finished up his work. He motioned toward the window, "Take a look."

Sofia peered into her reflection, gasping and grinning. She gently touched the braid now dangling on the right side of her face. It matched her father's perfectly.

**XXXX**

_Why shouldn't it be me?_

Hearing commotion coming from the south side of the village, Sofia sat up, coughing and brushing the snow out of her eyes. Slipping to her feet, walking across the pointed roof of the house with absolute confidence, she craned her neck to find the source of the noise: a crowd gathering around a gaudy looking wagon.

Sofia pursed her lips, her curiosity piqued. The recent illness that had swept through the village had kept most people locked in doors, with the few still healthy enough to work doing two, three, sometimes even four times as much work as they had before. She slid down the side of the roof, her knees bending slightly before sending her flying through the air, easily landing on the neighboring roof. If so many people were getting out of bed, or skipping work, it must have been for good reason.

She continued her little journey to the wagon, leaping from rooftop to treetop, back to rooftop, before finally reaching the roof of the general store. She spied her brother amongst the crowd and frowned. Their Mama was sick at home, Olle was supposed to be taking care of her while she was out. Sofia dropped from the rooftop, landing lightly before pushing her way through the crowd toward Olle.

"Hey, what's going on?" The ten-year-old frowned when she heard an overly smooth voice speak up over the crowd.

"I understand your frustrations, my friends, but I simply cannot afford to lower my price any further than I already have. You have to understand, these ingredients are quite perilous to come by."

"This guy's supposed to be some bigshot apothecary from Valoran," Olle explained, slipping an arm around his sister to keep her from being bumped by the adults around them, "Says he has a cure for the sickness."

Sofia perked up, tugging on Olle's arm, her eyes sparkling as she tried to tug him toward the wagon.

"That's great, right? We can help Mama get better!" Her smile began to fade when she saw the way her brother refused to look at her. She winced, feeling his hold on her shoulder getting tighter, "Olle, what's wrong? If he has medicine, that's good, right?"

"We can't afford it, Sofi. No one can, he's asking for more money than the entire village makes in a year," With every word, Sofia's smile became a frown, and then a scowl, until finally she was tearing herself away from her brother's protective grip and forcing her way to the front of the crowd.

"Sir, please, we'll find some way to pay you back. You have to make an exception...we're talking about over half our people!" the Mayor implored, his forehead pressed into the snow as he prostrated himself before the Apothecary, his walking cane discarded on the ground beside him.

The Apothecary pulled his heavy furs tighter around him, turning a warning eye toward one of his two guards before clearing his throat. He tightened his grip on his own walking cane, a masterfully crafted oak staff crowned with a glass sphere.

"My friend, please, pick yourself up. I won't sleep well tonight knowing someone's grandpa hurt themselves for my sake," Sighing and stroking his chin, the Apothecary glanced at his other guard. His gaze briefly fell on the crowd, where he spied a little girl forcing her way to the front of the crowd.

"Then give him the medicine! People are dying! My Mama's dying!" Tearing herself away from the adult trying to quiet her, she marched up to the Apothecary. She stopped when one of his guards, a giant man, his face hidden behind a beard and his bald head barely covered by his fur hat, stepped up to her.

"Back off, kid. If you don't have the coin, you can't have the medicine." The guard backed off, releasing his grip on his sword when the Apothecary stepped forward, patting his arm.

"Relax, friend, it's just a child." Squatting down, he sighed and offered the little girl a sad smile, "I apologize, little girl. My men are quite dedicated to their jobs. As am I." His smile faltered, his nose scrunching when she cut him off.

"Then let us buy the medicine! You could help everyone if you stopped being so greedy!" Sofia shrugged off a hand grabbing at her shoulder. She grunted when she felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around her waist and tug her off the ground. She glared at Olle for a moment before fixing the Apothecary with the nastiest snarl she could muster.

The Apothecary's expression was neutral as he slid back to his feet, brushing off his thick fur coat. He cleared his throat before finally replying in a solemn tone.

"Greedy am I? Child, if you knew the sacrifices that had to be made to create a single flask of this tonic, you'd not be so quick to throw out such accusations," With a flourish, the Apothecary turned and began walking to his cart, "We're leaving, my friends. I can see I'm not wanted here."

As the crowd dissolved into a panic, Sofia watched the Apothecary with narrowed eyes, ignoring her brother's scolding. Her lips twitched as she felt hateful eyes glaring at her back as they left the crowd. She let Olle grab her by the arm and drag her back to their house. She stared at her feet, focusing on the crunch of the snow beneath her shoes. Slowly, her other hand clenched into a fist at her side.

It wasn't until much later that night, after the sky had turned black and the gently falling snow had grown into a fierce snowstorm, that Sofia snuck from her room. Dressed in black, she paused to peek into her mother's room. Her expression softened, listening to her mother cough and wheeze, watching as she tossed and turned, mumbling nonsense. Her fever had only grown worse as the night stretched on. Something had to be done tonight; tomorrow would be too late.

Steeling her nerves, she nodded and slipped away, heading for the front door. As she paused to tug on her boots, her eyes drifted to her bow, resting against the wall and waiting patiently for its owner. Climbing to her feet, she reached for her bow. A hand suddenly snatched her wrist, another reaching around her to muffle her surprised shriek.

"Quiet, Sofi, it's just me," Olle held her for a moment longer to give her time to calm down before finally releasing her. He glanced back over his shoulder, then focused the sternest look he could muster on his little sister, "What were you thinking? Are you seriously planning to steal that medicine?" When she refused to respond, Olle groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Sofi, that bodyguard was ready to fight you in front of a crowd of people. What do you think will happen if you show up in the middle of the night swinging your bow around? Do you think they'll think twice just because you're a little girl?"

Sofia bit the inside of her cheek, fists clenched at her sides and her gaze locked on her bow. She closed her eyes as she felt pressure building in her chest. She kept biting her cheek, anything to keep from letting out the scream she was holding back.

When Olle finally quit scolding her, she spoke up, her voice a ghost of a whisper.

"Then why don't you go?"

Olle was taken back, "What do you mean?" He flinched again when Sofia spun around, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes.

"Papa is gone and Mama is dying! Someone has to do something, so if you won't let me, then why won't you go, you coward?!" Sofia's lips quivered and one of her tears slipped through her defenses as she turned away from Olle again. Her fists were starting to hurt; she could taste blood as she bit down again.

"Sofi…"

"Do you remember what Papa said before he left?" Without waiting for Olle to answer, Sofia choked back a sob and continued, "He said...someone," Sofia sniffled and rubbed her eyes, once again staring at her bow, "Someone has to take a stand against evil…why shouldn't it be me?" After a moment of silence, she heard footsteps retreating behind her. She lowered her head, her entire body shaking.

The little girl finally let another sob escape, her hand flying to her mouth to keep from disturbing her mother. At first, she refused to turn when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When he persisted, she finally turned, her eyes widening as she watched Olle wrap a dark wool cloak around her, securing it around her neck. He refused to look at her as he adjusted it until it fit perfectly.

"Wait here," without waiting for her answer, he disappeared again. Sofia tugged the cloak tighter around herself. Sniffling, she rubbed her eyes furiously, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. She looked up when Olle returned, kneeling down in front of her once again. He took her chin, "Don't move," to the surprise of both of them, she obeyed, staying still as Olle took black paint, outlining her eyes. Satisfied, he tugged the hood of the cloak up and over her head.

He sighed, offering her the weakest of smiles as he gave her shoulder a pat.

"You're right, I am a coward," He kept going, even when Sofia opened her mouth to apologize, "I'm not like Dad, but, you are. If anyone can pull this off, it's you, Sofi. Just promise me you'll make it home, I can't lose you too, Little Bird."

Biting her lip and blinking her eyes to keep from tearing up again, she nodded, returning his embrace, her arms snaking around his neck.

"I'll come back...and I'll save Mama, I promise." No more words were spoken as the two sat in their embrace for a minute longer. Olle finally sighed and gestured toward the door. Nodding, Sofia snatched her bow and quiver, taking a moment to count her arrows before tugging the door open. Outside the wind was howling as the Snow Queen's wrath ravaged the night. Throwing one last glance at her brother, she stepped outside, leaping from the ground to the roof of their neighbor's home in a single bound.

**XXXX**

_The medicine was a lie._

The rumbling sound of wheels rolling across the stones and sticks she'd put in the road before woke Sofia out of her daze. Groaning and stretching her neck, she carefully rose up onto her toes, peeking out from her perch to the approaching carriage below.

The driver was shivering as he tugged his warm furs around him, cracking the reins and shouting at the horse to pick up the pace. The horse was well-groomed, rich chocolate brown with a healthy mane. Faintly, Sofia could make out the faint metal glitter of its fresh shoes. And, finally, the covered carriage itself was gaudy, but seemed well made: crafted from sturdy wood, painted white, and lined with gold; whether it was real gold or not, Sofia couldn't quite tell.

A small smile tugged at her lips as she pulled her hood up. These types spent all their money on appearances and rarely had the money to afford competent protection.

Reaching to her quiver, her fingers brushing the feathered tips as her lips moved to count their number, she braced herself, tightening her hold on her bow. As the carriage passed below, Sofia shot from the tree, landing atop the carriage, an arrow already nocked and drawn, its deadly point leveled with the back of the driver's head.

"Stop the carriage, drop your money, and get on the ground," her voice startled the driver before he'd even had time to register her landing behind him. Sofia narrowed her eyes as the driver drew the carriage to a halt, "Hands in the air, I'm not asking again."

The driver began to rise from his seat, one hand rising a bit quicker than the other. With a shout, he spun on her, unsheathing a dagger. The moment he caught sight of the attacker, an arrow hit his shoulder, causing him to drop his weapon. Grunting, grabbing at the wound, he peered up, his eyes widening as he came nose to tip with another drawn arrow. Swallowing nervously, trying to hold back his moans of pain, the driver, quickly nodded and scrambled off of the carriage.

"I said drop your money," the girl's voice caused the driver to flinch again. Nodding once more, he quickly emptied his pockets before dropping to his knees, "All the way on the ground." The old man complied, lying on his side to avoid further agitating the arrow in his shoulder.

Finally satisfied, Sofia jumped from the carriage and approached the horse. The animal reared back in fear at first, but a calming shush from the young girl settled his nerves.

"Easy, I'm not here to hurt you. Time to let you go, boy," with a precision honed over years of similar robberies, Sofia was able to quickly untether the horse from the carriage. Giving it a sharp slap on the leg, she sent it fleeing to safety.

"Th-that was my horse…" the driver spoke up with a groan. He cried out, flinching away from the arrow now embedded in the ground inches from where his head had been laying. Taking the hint, he clamped his mouth shut and focused on stemming the bleeding.

Her lip twitching upward slightly, Sofia leaped back on top of the carriage. She gave it two hard stomps then jumped down again, readying another arrow as she turned to the carriage door. After a moment of silence, she loosed the arrow, a pair of screams echoing from within as it smashed through the window.

"The next one won't miss. Get out here." Sofia kept another arrow at the ready, listening to the brief sound of arguing within, then the scrambling of shoes against wood as the door opened and the occupants exited, hands in the air, backs up against their carriage. Her nose scrunched, her lips pulling into a frown when she caught sight of the numerous rings that both husband and wife were wearing. Her eyes drifted to the woman's jewelry, her garish earrings and the gold pendant around her neck. Next they drifted to her husband's poorly fitting suit jacket, an emblem - the house emblem likely - sewed on the lapel in golden thread.

Her grip on her bow tightened, her arm drawing the arrow back a bit further as she let a growl escape her lips.

"All of your valuables, all of your money, on the ground. Now."

The pair hesitated, their eyes sizing up their young attacker. The wife glanced at the husband, biting her lip. He glanced back at her, clearing his throat and loosening his collar.

"She's...she's just a child," the wife's whisper didn't go unheard. Sofia snarled and loosed her arrow, nicking the older woman's ear before piercing the carriage side.

"That's your last warning shot, the next one is going in your eye. All of your money, now!" Sofia's eyes darted back and forth between the pair as they traded another quiet exchange. The young girl's attention suddenly shot to the carriage, her ears perking up hearing sound still coming from within.

Spotting her momentary distraction, the man shouted at the carriage.

"Are you going to help us or not!? What am I paying you for?!" his desperate cry was met with a chuckle and the sound of boots scuffing against wood.

The door slid open again, a lanky man exiting, ducking to fit through the doorway. He dropped from the carriage with a grace that belied his clumsy appearance. He turned to the man, a long smile stretching across his painted black lips.

"My good sir, there is a world of difference between the supporting cast and the star. The star simply must make a dramatic entrance." His voice was like warm honey, spoken with an extravagant accent that Sofia had never heard before. When the woman started to speak up, the man brought a single finger, his fingernails also painted black, to his lips and shushed her, "Shh...my good madam, there's no more need for audience participation."

Sofia kept her arrow trained on this man. She'd faced countless bounty hunters and bodyguards in the past, but none had struck her so profoundly as he. While most bodyguards were big and clumsy, dressed in iron and steel, this man was quite the opposite, tall and lithe, dressed in form-fitting, colorful clothing, black on one side, red on the other, split right down the middle, his only defense against the cold the black scarf wrapped around his neck. His shaggy red hair framed his long face like a mane, his dangerous gray eyes, outlined in black paint that trailed down his cheeks like tears, the only tell that filled the young archer with unease.

She felt a single bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face and quickly re-adjusted her hold on both her bow and her arrow. She couldn't see any weapon on the man, no dagger or sword on his side, but she found her gaze constantly drawn back to the silver gauntlets he was wearing. They were thin, ran halfway up his forearms, and left his fingers unguarded.

The man turned to Sofia at last, his smile somehow growing even wider.

"Here she is...the one I've heard so much about. The Phantom who haunts these woods…" His hand slid to his hip and he laughed, "It's no wonder my compatriots are so terrified of these woods. What swordsman could ever admit having lost to such a little girl. How old are you, dear? Eleven? Twelve?"

Without thinking, Sofia spat back, "I'm thirteen, and I've beaten scarier men than you," Despite the cold, Sofia could feel her cheeks heating up as the man laughed again.

"Ah! So young, and so talented! I am in awe of you, Phantom," the man began to pace, his hips swaying as he sauntered passed his employers, "I must ask-"

"I'm not paying you to interrogate her! Just get rid of her already!" The nobleman gasped and pressed his back up against the carriage when the lanky man's arm shot out, his outstretched finger pressing against his employer's throat, lifting his chin until his eyes were locked on the canopy above.

"Good sir, the audience is not to speak during the performance," the playfulness from before was gone from the man's voice, replaced with such venom that even Sofia felt her skin crawl. The lanky man kept his steel gaze focused on his employer, unblinking, until the older man nodded and made a show of pressing his lips closed. With a smile, the lanky man turned his attention back to the bandit.

"Tell me, little Phantom. Are the rumors true? Can you really fly?" There was a noticeable twinge of excitement in the lanky man's tone. His lips pulled back into a grin, his hand snaking out to catch the arrow that Sofia had fired, the tip stopping a hair's breadth from his left eye.

Sofia's grip on her bow tightened, her fingers fumbling at her quiver for her next arrow.

"How did you do that?" She kicked herself for asking, but the words escaped before she could rein them back in. She felt her cheeks heating up once more when the man laughed again, twirling the arrow between his fingers.

"My line of work requires extraordinary talent, and, where talent is lacking, extraordinary dedication to practice with bloody hands and broken bones until the impossible becomes possible. I must admit...you are the best shot I've ever encountered." The man flung the arrow back at Sofia, his grin growing when she caught it in return, "Were you a lesser marksman, I'd have caught it with my teeth. A perilous trick, that one. Even if you succeed, you'll often find your tongue quite bloodied."

"You're not a bodyguard...who are you?" Despite herself, Sofia refused to nock another arrow. She kept the one the man had returned held tight in her hand, her eyes unblinking as she gazed into his gray eyes. The corner of her lip twitched upward as the man took an extravagant bow, his head nearly touching his knee as he swept his arms outward.

"They call me...the Beast."

**XXXX**

_He called me the Hawk._

The Hawk hunkered down, her entire body trembling as the storm around them raged harder, the howling wind almost drowning out the blood curdling screams of rage from the one they'd come to destroy. She nodded, muttering a thanks to the Bear as he wrapped his massive arms around her to shield her from the cold. Her gaze drifted to the long gash across his left arm, the blood that had been seeping out already frozen. She peered up at his face, but he wasn't looking at her, his gaze was locked on the others. The Hawk turned to the others, grimacing when she caught sight of the Stag.

She'd never seen the old man falter, or even lose his temper. But, face-to-face with the Winter Witch, the demon responsible for the pain and loss he'd suffered, he had lost himself and lashed out in a fury. He was powerful, but the Snow Queen was a Goddess. Her stomach churned as she noticed that the snow around him had turned a deep shade of red, his wound too severe for the cold to freeze it shut just yet.

The Viper noticed her worried glance and spoke up.

"What are we going to do, Beast? We can't get to her, and Stag is…" she refused to continue, biting her lip as the Stag grabbed her hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Don't worry about me, Viper...j-just worry about...finishing what we started," He groaned and quickly closed his mouth, biting back bile as his stomach churned. He was getting paler by the minute, his lips turning blue. Coughing, he glared up at the sky, trying to look passed the massive boulder they'd taken refuge behind, "The damned witch, running and hiding just when we were starting to win!"

The Hawk turned to where their leader was kneeling, peering around the boulder. He jumped back as a wave of ice erupted from the ground, nearly taking his head off. The Beast growled and glanced back at the others.

"We're so close...I can taste it...this is the final act, we need only stick the landing…" He trailed off. They'd managed to deal some damage, but now, with the Snow Queen retreating to the top of a mountain of ice, her fury unleashed in a hellstorm of biting wind and razor sharp icicles, they'd reached an impasse.

There was no way to reach her; no way to finish what they started.

"How though? That...mountain she made, there's no way we can get up there. Not in this storm," the Viper pointed out, gesturing to the icy walls around them, "Even if we tried to climb up, this entire cave is made out of her magic. The second we're on the ice, we'd be dead. The only way up there…" the assassin trailed off, shaking her head, "It's impossible."

The Hawk felt a chill colder than the Snow Queen's power as she heard the defeat in the Viper's voice, a tone she was certain the woman had never spoke with before. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open when the Bear spoke up.

"We'd need to fly." His simple response echoed in the Hawk's ears. She felt her blood starting to run hot, feeling returning to her fingers and toes. She looked up at the Bear, then turned her attention to the Beast. When she tried to speak, no words escaped. Clearing her throat, steeling her nerves, she spoke up again.

"I can do it," despite the din of the storm and the Snow Queen's wrath, those four words drowned out everything else. The older members turned to face her: the Stag's mouth moving, his head shaking, the Viper's eyes wide, her hand covering her mouth, the Bear's grip on her tightening. Finally, the Beast's mouth agape, his head already shaking.

"No! No, no, no, no, no! It's too dangerous, Hawk. You'd be eviscerated by the ice before you even made it halfway. No, I'm not letting you-" the Beast trailed off as the Hawk forced her way out of the Bear's embrace.

"If I don't, we're all going to die!" her voice cracked, but her fear was quickly fading as a new warmth surged through her: burning, righteous anger. She quickly cut off the Viper when she started to speak up, "No! No, none of you get to tell me I'm wrong because you know I'm right! I'm the only one who can get to her!"

"It's a fool's errand, Hawk. We'll ugh...we'll think of something else," the Stag groaned, his hand rushing back to his side. The blood had finally frozen, the cold spreading up his side.

"Sofi," the use of her real name almost broke through Hawk's fury. She turned to face the Beast, biting her lip as he knelt beside her, lightly touching her cheek, "I...I know how much this means to you, but, I can't...I can't let you throw yourself away like this. You're just a kid, this isn't even the end of your first act, darling. You can't rob the world of your possibilities."

The Hawk pursed her lips, holding back tears as, for a moment, she heard Olle's voice - one she hadn't heard in years - instead of the Beast's. She reached up, taking the Beast's hand and took a shallow breath, shaking her head.

"My dad died...trying to bring back the Sun," She turned to look the Beast in the eye, "I can't let his death be in vain. I…" the Hawk clenched her eyes shut, a few tears escaping before quickly freezing to her cheeks, "I will do whatever it takes to see the Sun just one time...j-just one time, Beast," the Hawk looked up again, "Do you remember what you asked me...the day we met?"

The Beast slowly nodded, his lips trembling as a tear slid through his defenses, "I asked if you could fly…" Nodding again, this time with certainty, the Beast let go of the breath he was holding and pulled the Hawk close, kissing her head and hugging her tight. "You're right...you are so right...right now, in this moment, you are the star, darling," the Beast pulled back, holding the Hawk at arm's length, caressing her cheek, "Hawk, it's time for your grand finale...time to bring this tragedy to a close at last."

"Hawk," the Hawk looked up, gasping when the Viper threw herself at her, pulling her into tight hug, "You can do this, baby girl, I know you can do this…" The Viper lowered her voice, whispering in the Hawk's ear, "You'll only get one shot...you can't miss."

The Hawk nodded and returned the Viper's embrace, a shiver running through her body. As she turned to accept the Bear's embrace, she felt her mind drifting back to when she was seven years old. Standing outside her home, sobbing as she held onto her father, refusing to let him go. He gave his life to try to stop the Snow Queen.

"Hawk," The fourteen-year-old shuffled over to the old man's side, a tiny smile finding its way to her lips as he reached out and playfully tapped the bridge of her long nose, "Give that bitch one right between the eyes for me. Make me proud, kid." The Hawk nodded and smiled as the Stag pulled her closer and kissed her head.

With nothing left to say, and no more time left to kill, the Hawk picked up her bow, the same bow her father had given her all those years ago. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, visions of her mother, her father, and her brother flashing through her mind. As those images faded, she saw the image of the Beast, the Bear, the Stag, and the Viper. She wanted to remember them how they were, a bunch of misfits and outcasts who had found each other and...for a time, found happiness. Eyes still closed, she reached for her quiver, fingers brushing the feathered tips of her arrows, counting them carefully.

She took one last, deep breath, sucking in air until her lungs felt ready to burst. Then, slowly opening her eyes, she turned her gaze skyward. As she let the breath go, she rose into a kneeling pose. Then, like a bolt of lightning, she shot from the ground, toward the wall of the cave.

A scream of fury from above let her know that her presence hadn't gone unnoticed. The wind suddenly changed direction, all of the Snow Queen's fury and ice heading straight for her. The Hawk quickly grabbed the edge of the wall, her foot instinctively fitting into an outcropping. The moment she felt solid ground beneath her, she launched herself again, her body twisting to avoid the more deadly icicles coming her way.

She managed to land on one of the ice pillars the Snow Queen had created earlier in the battle, eyes unblinking as she scanned the room quickly for her next perch. She felt the pillar beneath her suddenly shaking and quickly launched herself toward a massive ice stalagmite, twisting herself just enough for her feet to land first, allowing her to launch herself again. Her next perch, another ice pillar, crumbled the second her feet touched it.

Acting without hesitation, the Hawk loosed an arrow, firing it into the cave wall. Trusting her aim, she launched herself toward that wall, taking another arrow and using it as a pick to catch herself on the wall. The wind was getting more powerful, the icicles larger and more dangerous as she lifted herself up, balancing on her arrow for a moment, just long enough to send herself flying upward again, to land on the arrow she'd fired previously.

The wall behind her suddenly erupted, ice shards launching toward her, threatening to impale her as they grew. The Hawk jumped from her arrow, landing on the growing sheet of ice and launching herself toward another ice pillar. This one was already crumbling by the time she reached it, giving her only a second to launch herself again, without the time to look for a new perch. The Hawk snatched another arrow and fired it at the wall, giving her another foothold. She felt the arrow break the moment her foot touched it and quickly leaped to a small outcropping along the upper edge of the western wall.

She looked up, finally able to see the source of the snow and Winter that had started long before she was born. The Snow Queen, her glittering crystal blue skin, her raging dark blue eyes, was looking right at her. With a scream, her long, snow-white hair billowing in her own blizzard, the Snow Queen unleashed a barrage of ice and sleet unlike anything she'd summoned before. The Hawk was blown backward, hitting the wall, which quickly began to freeze to her.

With a grunt, she tore free and launched herself again, aiming for one last pillar that would give her the space she needed to reach the Snow Queen's platform. The world went upside down as the pillar turned to snow and collapsed before the Hawk could land on it. As she tumbled, it almost felt like time was slowing down around her. She could hear the Snow Queen's cries, but they were distant and muffled. She was certain she could hear her companions crying out as she fell, but even the storm was growing quiet as her eyes widened, staring through a hole in the ceiling of the cave, to the cloud covered sky above.

As she kept staring, she swore she could see the hint of a golden glow just behind the clouds.

"_I saw it once, you know," her father had told her while they were hunting. Sofia hadn't known what he meant at the time, causing him to laugh and continue, "The Sun. I saw it once. Was on a hunt in the mountains, must have been...fourteen years ago now. Well before you and Olle were born."_

_What was it like, she'd asked, eyes wide and mouth agape. She felt a chill when her father had faltered for a moment, almost looking like he was going to cry._

"_It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen…I was high up, hadn't found my man yet, so I decided to keep going up. Eventually, I managed to make it through the snow and the clouds...and there it was. The sky, brightest shade of blue I'd ever seen, covered in rays of golden light that went on forever from a fire that never went out. It was so warm...so peaceful..." Vincent paused to wipe his eyes. After a moment collecting himself, he chuckled and tousled her hair, "I'd do anything to see it one more time...and I'm gonna make sure you see it too, Little Bird."_

The Hawk's eyes narrowed, her lips pulling back into a snarl as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. With a grunt she spun herself around in the air, eyes locked on the pillar where the Snow Queen was waiting. As an icicle shot passed her, she lifted her leg and waited for just the right moment, before stomping down and sending herself flying into the air once more.

The icicles were coming faster than before, tiny ones like razors cutting at her cloak and skin, but the larger ones were her focus. They weren't weapons threatening to kill her: they were a staircase that would lead her to the sky. Moving without thinking, the Hawk launched herself from icicle to icicle, twisting and turning to avoid the Snow Queen's wrath, hand reaching back to her quiver, fingers brushing against her last arrow.

Higher and higher, she soared, leaping from icicle to icicle, arrow nocked, her fingers bleeding as she drew it back. As she rose up over the edge of the Snow Queen's platform, the Hawk looked her dead in the eye as she leveled her arrow with the demon's forehead. The Snow Queen reared back, the dark crystal between her breasts glowing with an unearthly dark light, and unleashed one final icy blast, spears of ice erupting from her pillar, a swirling cacophony of biting winds and cold rushing toward the teenager to blow her back and end her life.

But, in that moment, the Hawk saw her chance. One of the icy spears erupting from the platform was just low enough that she managed to plant her feet on it and launch herself spiraling into the air.

Upside down, hand coated in blood, her arm screaming in agony as she drew the arrow back as far as she could manage, the Hawk's eyes locked on that dark crystal and a scream escaped her lips as she let loose her final arrow.

**XXXX**

The air in the princess's room was heavy, as it had been for the four days since the assassination attempt. Following the fight, Princess Anna had been bedridden, refusing to wake up despite tossing and turning in what the castle physician had called a fever dream. Every so often, she would mutter or moan, but her eyes refused to open and as she settled, she fell back into a silent sleep.

Her sister, dutifully sitting on the edge of the bed, caressing her sister's hair as she slept, had suffered from quite the opposite. After having her wounds treated, she'd sequestered herself to Anna's room, refusing to leave her side, refusing to sleep until she passed out in bed beside her, for fear that if she looked away for even a moment, she might lose her again.

Elsa paused for a moment, her hand, both hands were now wrapped in gloves once more, trembling as she pulled away. She clutched her hand, shivering as she realized she couldn't feel her own touch. Taking a shallow breath, she released the magic that was covering her hands, revealing the crystal blue skin hiding beneath.

At first, it had only been her left hand, but, as Anna's condition refused to improve, the cold had spread. For now, it was only her hands, which were easy enough to hide given that she'd spent her entire life wearing gloves. But, in the back of her mind, when the night grew old and fatigue began to overtake her, her memories shifted back to that moment where she'd ceded control over to the cold. She hadn't been scared, or angry, or worried at all...she'd felt...nothing. That, how easily she'd let the cold take over after nearly losing Anna again, was what frightened her most.

"Please come back," Elsa's tired voice cracked as she resumed her watch. It had been days since she'd seen her sister's smile, a sight that chased away the fear that lingered in the back of her mind and kept the cold at bay. With every day that passed, she worried that warmth may never returned. Her chest hitched, a hand flying to her mouth to smother a sob as she felt herself begin to cry once more.

Her sob caught in her throat when she felt a warm hand brush against her cheek, fumbling to wipe away the tears. Elsa turned to her sister, a hesitant smile rushing to her lips.

"Anna?" Elsa leaned into her warm touch, her sister's soft hand caressing her cheek. Her smile faded slightly as she noticed the distant look in Anna's eyes; they seemed glassed over and unfocused, "Are you alright?"

"Hey...don't cry, Snow Fairy…" Anna's voice was weak, but music to Elsa's ears. The Queen slid closer as the Princess sat up. Before she could respond, the feeling of Anna's warm lips touching hers robbed her of any words she may have been considering. The touch lasted only for a moment, before Anna pulled away, "Everything is gonna be alright."

"Anna...wait, no, no, no! Wait, Anna, stay with me, please!" the brief comfort the Queen had begun to feel vanished as Anna's eyes rolled back and she collapsed back into her pillows. "Don't leave me…" Trembling, Elsa started to reach out to her, but paused, drawing her frozen hand back. Her fingers moved to touch her lips, her heart racing as she latched onto the memory of that kiss, refusing to let the feeling fade.

**XXXX**

"So...do you live out here by yourself?" The redhead asked as she and her new friend sat by the now thawed pond, shoes tossed aside, feet dangling in the water. She frowned when she noticed the way the Snow Fairy curled up, arms wrapping around her middle as she stared at some far off point, a few snowflakes beginning to fall around her. The two had been meeting for several months now, always in secret, sometimes brief, but sometimes late into the night. But, she'd never thought to ask about the fairy's parents, who seemed to never be around.

"Yeah...j-just me…" the Snow Fairy finally responded, her voice hitching as a tear slid down her cheek. She bit her lip as she felt the redhead brush the tear away, leaning into the touch, turning to face the younger girl.

"Hey...don't cry, Snow Fairy." The redhead's voice was soft, but sure. She pursed her lips for a moment, then, taking a chance, she leaned in close, her lips just barely brushing against the fairy's. The touch only lasted for a moment before the redhead pulled away.

The Snow Fairy's eyes widened and her hand reached up, fingers brushing against her lips. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she stared into the redhead's eyes. She held her breath as the redhead reached up, tucking her long white hair behind her ear. That touch, however brief, was enough to bring a smile to the Snow Fairy's face.

"Everything is gonna be alright." The redhead grinned as the fairy nodded and returned her attention to the water. When the redhead's fingers brushed against the fairy's hand, there was no hesitation as she accepted the embrace. Holding her hand tight, the redhead began to sing.

After a moment, the soft, nervous sound of the fairy's voice joined her.


End file.
